Virtue In Extremis
by Mia-Marauder-Potter
Summary: Emilie Rose Nott is Theodore Nott Jr.'s twin sister, and she is certainly unwanted - at least by their father. When things escalate and the danger changes, can she be protected?
1. Masters Of The Scene

**Chapter One**

_People everywhere_

_A sense of expectation hanging in the air_

_Giving out a spark_

**September 1st, 1979**

Maria Nott née Rosier had lost all of her remaining patience that morning when her husband had taken an hour and a half to get ready for the hospital. By the time they got there, she was rushed to delivery while her husband had been escorted to a waiting room. Everyone had told her that her delivery would be quick. Quick and, with numbing and pain potions, easy.

And they were right, to an extent. Within ten minutes of getting to her room, she'd managed to deliver Theodore Anthony Nott Jr. While he was being quickly cleaned up, she set to work getting the other baby out of her - one Emilie Rose Nott.

Of course, Emilie was perfectly willing to do things on her own terms, and only on her terms.

It took another two hours to deliver her, and by the time she had, Maria had gone through a great deal of emotions in relation to her incoming daughter. She was frustrated, tired, irritated, concerned, scared, but by the time Emilie arrived, she felt nothing more than delighted anticipation.

Finally, four hours after her water broke, Maria held her children in her arms. They each had tufts of thick brown hair on their heads, and the sight made her smile. Her husband had fine, jet black hair, and he'd insisted the twins would look just like him. He might have primacy, he might be in charge of how she'd raise them, but at least they looked like her.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

**November 19th, 1984**

It had quickly become extremely clear to them that the twins were horribly attached to one another.

Theodore Sr. had done everything he could think of to convince his son to ignore Emilie, but Theo had thrown tantrums, cried, and had powerful instances of accidental magic every time he was refused access to his sister. She, truthfully, wasn't much better. As soon as their accidental magic had destroyed a rather expensive painting that was on loan from a friend, Theodore Sr. gave in and brought Emilie in on Theo's lessons.

The lessons started at a very young age, and were on dark magic, blood purity, politics, but when they were lucky, he'd teach them curse breaking. They spent a great deal of their time going over their lessons, and when they were left with Maria, she took them aside and taught them the truth about blood purity. They were always left with the message to never tell their father, or bad things would happen.

Unfortunately, Emilie was fiery. She had a temper that Theo did his best to control - for her own safety, of course - but there were times, like that day, when it was impossible.

Theodore Sr. had come home, ranting about the muggleborn witch that had gained a seat on the Wizengamot through her Ministry job. He was mid-rant during dinner when Emilie's hair began sparking. He finally glanced at the small girl and the way her fist was clenched on the fork she held so tightly that her knuckles turned white. "Is there a _problem_, Emilie?"

"They're just _people_," she told him loudly. Theo grabbed her arm and tugged at it, trying to get her to shut up. She just smacked him away and glared at their father. "She's just a person, Father."

"She is dirty blood," he replied in a tone that suggested she was stepping into dangerous waters. "She has no place in our government."

"Well, what would you have her do instead?"

"Emilie, love, eat your peas," Maria interrupted sharply. "This isn't a conversation for you."

"No, Maria, the girl has a question," Theodore Sr. snarled. He looked at his daughter with narrowed eyes. "I would have her killed. I would have all of them killed. Our family is a pure one, and you will learn that."

"She's just tired," Theo said, kicking her under the table. "I apologize, sir. She didn't mean to talk back."

"See that it doesn't happen again," Theodore Sr. ordered. When Theo nodded, he looked back to his wife and continued on his rant.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Theo closed the door behind him as quietly as he could manage and walked over to the bed. On it sat a frustrated Emilie, holding a book. He climbed up on the bed and poked her. "How bad was it?"

"Three weeks," she replied quietly. "Are you in trouble, too?"

"Not this time," he assured her. "I'll find you some more books when we're out tomorrow."

She nodded and turned back to her reading silently, so he kissed her cheek and slipped off of the bed and out of the room - he'd stay with her, of course, but it would only make things worse if they got caught.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

**March 5th, 1985**

Things steadily got worse, but no one really realize just how bad it was until that day.

Theodore Nott Sr wasn't young by any means when he married, and by the time they had kids two years after that - after immense difficulty - he was getting up in age. It was when he turned 94 that year that the emotional and mental abuse took a sharp turn to physical.

It started with Emilie. She was, in general, the bane of his existence. She got in the way of everything he did. He wanted one heir and that was it, but the blood ceremony they'd performed to get pregnant had been a bit too successful, and it had been twins. He had hoped they would both be boys, and that was the first time she'd let him down.

Theo's attachment to her also proved to be a problem. Theo was typically a calm, rational boy who took well to his lessons and was becoming exactly what and who Theodore Sr wanted him to be. The issues only began when Emilie was upset. When she was upset, Theo became difficult. He did everything he could to get her what she wanted, and only when she was happy again would he cooperate.

Beyond his son, Theodore Sr found his wife was enamored with the girl. She had flat out refused to allow him to kill her when she had been born, and had even threatened to call Aurors. It had been a calculated decision when he chose to not risk the involvement of Aurors. He could pay them off, of course, but risking that information getting out? He wasn't willing to do that.

Staring at the child in front of him as she glared at him and held an unfamiliar boy behind her, he thought he rather regretted letting her live.

Theodore Sr reached down and grabbed her throat and yanked her away from the boy until she stood at his side. He spoke to her, his tone dark, but glared at the boy. "Is this boy a muggle?"

"Father, he was just selling candy!" she exclaimed, tears rolling down her cheeks. "Theo's gone, I just wanted to play. I'm bored."

"Answer me, Emilie Rose!" he yelled loudly. She winced and nodded silently.

"I won't let him in again," she promised through her crying. "I'm sorry. He won't come over again."

"Damn right, he won't," Theodore Sr said, his voice low and, to Emilie, terrifying. He held the back of her neck with a strong, painful grip and with the other hand, he grabbed his wand and pointed it at the boy.

"Father, _no_!" she exclaimed. She tried to jump forward to shield him, but he held much too strongly onto her. She watched with mute horror as a green spell hit the boy and he fell to the ground. Her eyes widened in fear and she stared at the boy's body, even as Theodore Sr got to his knees directly in front of her. He grabbed her roughly and made her look at him.

"You will _never_ bring one of _them_ in here again," he whispered. "If you do, I will kill you and the muggle. Do you understand?"

Shaking and crying, she nodded. Finally, he released her. Without a moment's hesitation, she ran out of the room and up the stairs to her bedroom, where she stayed until her mother and brother got home. When they got there, Theo went to her room to comfort her immediately - the twin bond they shared had informed him long ago of the terror running through her. At some point while they were talking, the door was locked from the outside, so they stayed there for hours until Maria came to get them and take them to their Uncle Evan, where they stayed for a week.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

**November 23rd, 1985**

Over the next few months, things escalated at home.

Maria put herself between Theodore Sr. and the twins often, and it tended to result in being cursed, hit, or otherwise hurt. Theo was typically free of harm unless he got between his father and sister, but it was never bad. Emilie, being as deeply hated as she was, found herself the usual target of Theodore Sr.'s fury. She found herself with broken bones, cuts and bruises, and a few dark curses that Maria would take her to their uncle to fix. Evan did so, each time insisting that she come live with him and break the contract. She never did.

Evan was banned from Nott Manor when he floo'd over in the middle of Theodore Sr. losing his temper. The elder man had sent a _very_ dark curse at Emilie that certainly would've killed her. Evan had put up a blood shield in front of his niece, and he'd taken her home with him until Maria had arrived and begged him to let her come home.

Theodore Sr. had taken to the Wizengamot to keep Evan away from his children. In the end, they'd settled on a restraining order that kept Evan off of Nott property and, nearly always, away from the kids. It had led to a loud fight between Evan and Maria, and she'd been forced by Theodore Sr. to cut ties with her brother.

The issue with that was that Evan was nowhere near finished with trying to protect his niece and nephew. He went to Augustus Rookwood, a senior Auror, and gave a statement of the incidents. Since it involved two Ancient and Noble Houses, the case was thrown up to Amelia Bones, the Head of the DMLE.

The day that news of the case reached Theodore Sr., things escalated once more.

Maria was home with the twins, working on politics - particularly, alliances. All three of them looked up when the door opened and Theodore Sr. stalked into the room, his wand already out and pointed at Emilie. He was in the middle of casting a curse when Maria put up a shield in front of the three of them and jumped to her feet. "Theodore, don't!"

"That worthless _bitch_ has ruined our lives!" Theodore Sr. exclaimed furiously. His hand shook, but his wand was still pointed at Emilie. "Our reputation!"

"She's just a child," Maria insisted. "She's done nothing!"

"Because of _her_, Evan has gone to the DMLE!" he snapped at his wife. "He is trying to take away my heir!"

Maria stepped forward cautiously, her hands in the air to calm him down. "Please, love, I can handle him. It isn't Emilie's fault."

"If you could control your brother, he wouldn't have opened a case," Theodore Sr. disagreed.

Everything happened very quickly and very slowly at the same time. His anger spiked when he caught sight of Emilie shifting closer to Theo. He stepped to the side to get a clear shot at her. He threw a _Sectumsempra_ at her.

It didn't hit her.

Instead, it hit Maria as she threw herself in front of her daughter. She fell to the ground directly in front of the twins as the spell split her open and blood came pouring out at an alarming rate.

Within seconds, she was dead.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

**November 25th, 1985**

The funeral was large.

The entire pureblood world was invited, and they all came. The details of her death were swiftly covered up by a fellow Death Eater that worked for the Ministry, who also went to the trouble of using an Imperius to convince Amelia to throw out the child abuse case. By the end of the week, any ministry officials that had known about the case had been Obliviated or otherwise manipulated to forget it.

It was at the funeral that Theo and Emilie were introduced to other children their age. Interacting with other kids wasn't something they did almost ever, but as they were brought to the funeral, they met them.

The first person they met was Blaise Zabini and his mother, Elora. The twins wandered out into the lobby and away from their father, who didn't mind at all. They ran into the Zabinis just as they entered the funeral home.

"Hello, dears," Elora smiled kindly. They'd been told about her - she was essentially a human siren, and currently between husbands. She didn't hold much power, but her family was very old and therefore to be respected. "How are you both doing?"

It was a question they'd been asked numerous times already. Theo glanced at his sister and then back at the woman. "Okay."

"This is Blaise," she introduced, patting her son's back. "He's your age."

"Hello," Blaise greeted, looking bored. He was tapping his leg with the back of his hand rapidly, as if he had been taught to keep still but found it extremely difficult. "Are you _twins_?"

"Yes, we are," Theo replied. Emilie was frowning at Blaise.

"Have you never met twins before?"

"No. I wasn't sure they were real."

"Where is your father?" Elora interrupted. She looked at them and the way they stiffened slightly and made a mental note of it. Children were the most telling creatures on the planet, aside from Gryffindors.

"Father was with Lady Longbottom, last I saw," Theo managed. His lips were thin, and there was an odd amount of anger in him for being five.

"Come, Blaise," Elora instructed. "You can speak with them later."

Complaining slightly, Blaise stepped away from the twins and followed his mother. She stopped just inside the room and glanced around the make sure there was nobody nearby.

"Blaise, I want you to befriend them," she said.

"They seem _boring_."

"Their mother just passed," she scolded. "They're sad. You will befriend them."

"Yes, Mother."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

The second person they met was Draco Malfoy and his parents, Lucius and Narcissa. They were essentially royalty in the Wizarding world since the Black and Potter families fell. They were dark aligned, and Lucius had been one of Voldemort's closest Death Eaters along with Bellatrix Lestrange and Regulus Black.

"Hello," Narcissa smiled at them kindly. "We're very sorry for your loss."

"Thank you, Lady Malfoy," Emilie replied quietly.

"Thank you for coming," Theo agreed.

"I'm Draco," the blonde boy shoved his hand out. Purely because he stood directly in front of her, Emilie automatically shook it. His grip was strong for such a young child, and she let out a small gasp of pain when he irritated one of the many injuries Theodore Sr. had given her the day Maria had died. She pulled her hand back abruptly and looked at Theo with wide eyes.

"Are you alright, Miss Nott?" Lucius questioned. Narcissa was looking at her skeptically, having been raised a Black. More than that, she was only a year older than Sirius and had watched him punished and injured over and over.

"She's fine," Theo said, just a little too quickly. "Hit her hand earlier is all."

The small family stepped away shortly after, but they didn't get far before Narcissa grabbed her husband's arm and stopped him. "Lucius, there's something wrong with them."

"She hit her hand, Cissa. It's nothing."

"You heard the rumors," she disagreed sharply. "Evan is not one to move boldly. Accusing one of the eldest Ancient and Noble Houses of child abuse is political suicide. And do you see him here?"

"He was kept away from Maria for lying," he insisted. "I'm sure they're fine."

"Then there won't be a problem if Draco gets close to them," she decided firmly. "Besides, you've yet to begin searching for someone for him, and she seems lovely."

"We've barely spoken two words to her, Narcissa," he sighed.

"Lucius," she frowned at him darkly. "We will protect these kids."

"And if they don't need protecting?"

"Then Draco has two new friends, and there's no harm done."

Shaking his head, he led her further into the room, and she let him. She'd won the argument, and they both knew it.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Finally, they met two young girls - Daphne and Astoria Greengrass. Their parents, Daniel and Emma, approached them with kind, sad smiles.

"You must be Maria's kids," Emma said in greeting. She looked over them quickly and nodded. "Yes, certainly her kids. You've got her hair and her eyes."

"Your hair is pretty," Daphne agreed, smiling at Emilie.

Daniel offered them a wink and pulled them out of the lobby. As they walked away, Emma leaned over to him.

"I think we'll have to set up a playdate," she informed him. "With everything that's been said about them, and losing their mother, they'll need good female influences."

"Of course," Daniel agreed, patting her hand gently. "We'll set it up soon."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

**August 1st, 1991**

All of them held their word.

Theo and Emilie suddenly found themselves with four new friends with which they spent a great majority of their time, as time spent at home always resulted in punishments from Theodore Sr. They still had their lessons with him, but also had lessons with Blaise, Draco, Daphne, and Astoria.

It was slightly startling to them to suddenly have so many others in their lives. Their twin bond was a strong one, and they tended to use it to communicate. It was a habit they didn't even realize was there, but suddenly were informed of when Draco had asked them why they were just staring at one another.

Over the years, all of their parents had attempted to get them taken away. Evan hadn't stopped, either. The only times he managed to see the twins was when he conveniently had a business meeting with their friends' parents while they were over.

In the end, Lucius, Narcissa, Elora, Daniel, and Emma had gotten together to talk about the situation. It had been prompted when Theo had been sent over to Malfoy Manor alone and had begun crying in fear that Emilie would be killed. With all of their legal options run out and in fear of the same situation that had gotten Maria killed happening again, the group decided to befriend Theodore Nott Sr. It was how they'd found themselves collectively raising the twins, not with Theodore Sr. but in spite of him.

Theodore Sr. didn't mind. In fact, he'd left them both to jump between the three houses the entire summer. It was a month before school began, and all of the friends had landed in Greengrass Manor to be taken to Diagon Alley together. It was Elora, Narcissa, and Daniel that gathered to take care of all of them, and they all took the floo to Diagon Alley, where they promptly split up.

Draco and Emilie wanted to go shopping for their robes first to get it out of the way, while Theo, Blaise, and Daphne wanted to get their wands. So, Narcissa took Draco and Emilie while Elora and Daniel took Theo, Blaise, and Daphne.

They stepped into Madame Malkin's and Emilie let out an immediate groan. "It's so busy already."

"It's back to school, Nott," Draco rolled his eyes. While Narcissa wandered off to find someone to help them, he stepped up and prepared to be measured. There was a ring of bells that signified someone had entered, but they both ignored it. "Are you going to complain all day?"

"Yes," she answered honestly. She caught his outer robes when he threw them to her and scowled. "I'm not your elf, Malfoy."

"You look like one," he raised an eyebrow at her. She didn't take the bait and just rolled her eyes.

"Draco," Narcissa scolded. "Be nice to Emilie."

"Sorry, Mum."

Narcissa came to stand next to the young girl while Madame Malkin began measuring Draco silently. She rubbed Emilie's back with a smile. "Now, I need to step over to Gringott's quickly. Can I leave you both here without trouble?"

"Yes, Mum," Draco promised. Narcissa's eyes shifted to Emilie.

"And you'll be fine without Theo?"

"I'm perfectly able to be apart from him," she said, careful not to roll her eyes. "I'll be fine. Thank you."

"Behave," Narcissa instructed before stepping out of the shop. Once she was gone, Draco snickered at Emilie.

"She thinks you're going to lose it."

"I'm going to smack you is what I'm going to do," she muttered, crossing her arms. "Careful measuring his big head, Madame Malkin, you might need an extra large tape measurer."

"I'm sure I'll do just fine, dear," Madame Malkin chuckled. The two kids quieted for a moment as she had Draco shift around a bit. There was a tap on her shoulder, and Draco caught sight of her wincing. His eyes shot to the boy that tapped her, and he clenched his hands into fists.

"Hey, don't touch her," he called. The black-haired boy looked at him with wide eyes, and Emilie backed up until she stood next to Draco. When she was close enough, he slipped his hand into her own and gripped it tight.

"Oh I'm sorry," the boy said, looking truly apologetic. "I was just going to ask… I've never been here before."

"Well, where's your Mum? She can help you. Emilie isn't the help."

"My Mum's dead," he said flatly.

Emilie offered him a kind smile. "So's mine. It's fine. Draco's being helped but you can get up and wait. I don't really mind putting it off."

"How do I…?"

She carefully pulled her hand out of her friend's and waved at the small stand next to Draco. "Just stand up there. You don't have outer robes, so there's no need to take them off and throw them at your friends like _some_ people here."

He got up next to Draco and offered her a nervous smile. "Thanks. I'm Harry."

"Emilie," she introduced with a small curtsey. "This is Draco."

"If you've never been here before, then are you a mud-," Emilie reached out and pinched his arm. _Hard_. He let out a small cough. "-muggleborn?"

"A… what?" he asked, confused.

"Muggleborn," Draco repeated.

Emilie laughed a little. "I doubt repeating it will help him understand, Draco. A muggleborn is a person born from parents without magic. Someone without magic is a muggle."

"Oh," Harry nodded his understanding quickly. "Well, not really. I was raised by my muggle aunt and uncle, but my parents had magic. They died when I was young, though."

"Couldn't you have been given to magical relatives?" she asked in confusion. "I mean, my brother and I- well it's complicated, but after Mum died, Uncle Evan tried really hard to get custody of us."

"I don't… think I have magical relatives."

"Everyone is related to everyone," Draco scoffed. "I think Nott is my sixth cousin or something. What's your last name? I'd bet we know."

"Oh, it's Potter."

The friends exchanged a disbelieving glance.

"Harry Potter," Draco said, unsure. "Really?"

Harry looked between them. "Yeah…"

"Potter," Emilie said thoughtfully. "Well, your grandmother was Dorea Potter née Black, so you're a Black. Her brother was Pollux Black, whose daughter was Walburga- didn't she die recently?"

"Mum said something about her dying," Draco confirmed. "Last year, I think."

"Well, Walburga had two sons. One is dead and one is in Azkaban, but he'd be your closest relative."

"Aside from bloody Sirius Black," Draco scoffed at her. "Who he _clearly_ wouldn't go to, there's Aunt Bellatrix."

"Bellatrix?" Emilie laughed. "He'd be more likely to go to bloody Regulus."

"The dead Death Eater."

"Dumbledore would _never_ put Harry Merlin-loving Potter with Bellatrix is all I'm saying. No, if no one else was available, I'd guess Andromeda. She's light, she was disowned, so her claim to him would be… difficult, but she's certainly not likely to raise him the same way any other Black member was raised."

"Dumbledore wouldn't put him with her, either," Draco disagreed. They'd all but forgotten about Harry in their small debate, and he was staring at them, totally lost. "He wouldn't want him close to that family at all. There's a _reason_ it fell, Em."

"It hasn't officially fallen until you're dead with no heir," she disagreed stubbornly. "You might be right, though. The issue is, there's no other Potters alive."

"Which brings us to the reason Dumbledore must've put him with muggles," Draco waved at Harry.

"Who _are_ those people?" he finally managed.

"Your family," Draco informed him. "Congratulations, you're related to the most messed up Ancient and Noble House there is."

"Ancient and-," Harry blinked. "I don't understand."

"It's okay," Emilie assured him. "I only know all of that because, distantly, you and Draco are cousins, too, and I was there while he was learning about it."

"So you guys aren't related?" he wondered. "He's not your brother, I mean."

"Merlin, no," Draco scoffed. "Her? She's too bloody annoying to survive for more than a week."

"Draco, I've spent months at a time with you."

"And look how it's worn me down."

Emilie took in a breath and resisted the urge to smack him. Instead, she offered Harry a polite smile. "I do have a brother. His name is Theo, and he'll be in our year. He's with our friends getting his wand right now."

Madame Malkin was finishing up with Draco while someone else moved over to help Harry, having just arrived to their shift. Finally, Draco jumped down and Emilie made her way up. "When was the last time I measured you, dear?"

"Three months ago for Lord Black's funeral, I think."

"Shouldn't be too difficult," Madame Malkin muttered to herself. "Much quicker than Mister Malfoy."

"So, what House do you want to be in?" Draco asked Harry, who frowned slightly.

"Well… I don't know. I don't really know much about them."

"Your parents were both Gryffindors," Emilie informed him.

"How do you know?"

"Each House sort of has families associated with them. For Gryffindor, it's Potters and Weasleys. For Slytherin, it's Blacks and Malfoys," Draco said. He puffed up his chest proudly at the end.

"The Bones' are usually Hufflepuffs," Emilie agreed. "And Ravenclaw- oh, I'm not sure."

"They're a picky House," Draco waved her off. "I'm going to be a Slytherin like my parents! My Mum was a Black, so I embody both Houses."

"I'll probably be in Slytherin or Ravenclaw," Emilie agreed softly. "I wish Theo could go first so I can make sure we're in the same House."

"I like the idea of Gryffindor," Harry offered tentatively. "Being brave and all."

"Foolish is more like it," Draco muttered, earning himself a glare from his friend.

"A lot of people go to the Houses their parents were in," Emile allowed. She glanced back when Madame Malkin dropped her hands and stepped down next to Draco.

"Come back in two hours and I'll have these ready," the woman assured them both.

"Hey, sit with us on the train," Emilie requested. Harry looked at them, startled, but nodded. The pair stepped out of the shop, and Draco made a face at her.

"Did you have to do that?"

"Your father will be pleased if you befriend him," she said with a small grin. "If _I_ befriend him, you at least have access to him and a potential alliance when we're of age."

"I'm perfectly content with our friends now," he shot back. The pair made their way toward Gringott's and, despite his irritation, he reached out to grab her arm so they wouldn't be separated. "And you should be, too."

"I _am_," she shrugged. "He's alone, did you notice?"

"So? Maybe his aunt went somewhere."

"A muggle?" she argued. "Unlikely. He didn't even know what muggleborn means."

Draco looked at her but dropped the subject. They weren't likely to agree, and while he typically enjoyed riling her up, doing so without Theo there was a bad idea.

OoOoOoOoOoOo


	2. Long Road

**Chapter Two**

_I see the shadows on my face_

_People have told me I don't look the same_

**September 1st, 1991**

The kids were escorted to King's Cross ten minutes before the train was set to leave. They found themselves a compartment, put their things away, and set to hugging the adults.

It was perhaps Emma's third time hugging Theo when Daniel let out a small laugh and pulled her away. "We have to let them go at some point, dear."

"Oh, maybe we could keep them for one more year," Emma suggested. "They can go with Astoria."

"I think one pair of Slytherin twins is plenty for Severus this year," Lucius chuckled.

"You've all got everything?" Elora questioned. Blaise nodded for them, even as he felt his pockets and froze.

"Mum, my _wand_-,"

She pulled it out of her purse and handed it over with a stern look. "Don't lose that, Blaise. It's been in my bag for two hours already."

"I'll glue it to his hand," Theo offered, grinning. "Uncle Evan taught me the permanent sticking charm."

"He did, did he?" Narcissa looked at him closely. "Your Uncle seems to forget that you're still a child."

"Yeah, sometimes, but then he'll teach us cool things," Emilie shrugged. "Like did you know that there's a curse that can completely disintegrate someone? It's _fascinating_. He said he's seen it used once and there wasn't even any blood, really."

"What a terrifying child you are," Narcissa ruffled her hair fondly. "Stop listening to that uncle of yours."

"I think he's _great_," Blaise said honestly.

"And we love you guys, but if you don't leave soon, you'll be coming to Hogwarts _with_ us," Daphne told her parents. "Please."

"Alright, alright," Emma agreed. She hugged her daughter once more and backed up. "Be safe, all of you."

"Don't get into trouble," Elora agreed, eyeing her son. "Not too much, anyway."

"And befriend the right people," Lucius added. "You have a list of approved friends. Refer to it."

"Yes, Father," Draco muttered. Finally, the adults slipped out of the compartment and off the train, leaving them alone. "Merlin, that took them forever."

"I still feel bad for Story," Emilie grimaced. "All alone for a year?"

"I expect an owl by morning," Daphne agreed. "I'll write her as much as possible. She'll be fine."

"Did your father actually give you a list?" Blaise asked Draco curiously. The boy in question reached into his pocket and handed the folded up parchment over. Blaise scanned it and made a face. "Crabbe and Goyle. No way in hell you're befriending them, Malfoy."

"Agreed," Theo muttered. "They're nasty. I heard they hexed Parkinson at her birthday party."

Emilie reached over and grabbed the list from Blaise. When her eyes settled on a familiar name, she grinned at Draco. "What did I tell you? I knew he'd be here."

"I still don't like him," Draco informed her. Daphne snatched up the list and Theo leaned over to read it with her.

"Is it because he startled me?"

"You got pale, Em."

"Everything startles me," she shrugged. "It's not his fault."

"Merlin, some of these people are upper years," Theo commented. "He expects you to befriend them?"

"It's all about connections," Draco replied. "A few of those people, he _insists_ I befriend. Others, like Potter, are mere suggestions."

"So who does he insist you befriend?" Daphne wondered.

"Dolohov and Rowle," he said simply. "I guess we used to be close with both Houses, but since their Lords have gotten older, we've drifted. He expects me to get us back on track."

"They're both third years, aren't they?" Emilie frowned. "I know Rowle, but I don't know much about Dolohov except that they're good friends."

"That would be because you weren't there during that lesson," Theo informed her. They both knew why, and despite not saying anything, their friends did as well. "It was a short one. Their family is dying out. Antonin is the last Dolohov. His father was paired with his cousin to keep the blood pure, but they'll need some new blood if they don't want it to end with him, so they're searching for a match for him."

"I heard they're having a hard time finding him a wife," Blaise said with vague disinterest in his voice. "The Dolohov reputation is fucking them over."

Daphne made a face at him. "Doesn't your mother tell you not to swear like that?"

"I don't see my mother, do you?"

There was a hesitant knock on the door, and Daphne opened it, being closest. Harry stepped inside and spotted Emilie with a nervous smile. Before he could speak, she waved him to sit on her other side. "Hello, Harry."

"Hullo," he replied, looking around.

"These are my friends," she explained. Theo sat next to her, so she nodded at him first. "That's my brother, Theo, like I told you. Across from him is Blaise Zabini, then you've met Draco, and then in front of you is Daphne Greengrass."

"Hi," he waved at them all. "I'm Harry, Harry Potter."

"You're shitting me," Blaise said, earning himself a smack from Daphne. "But really, you've got the scar?"

"You're so _rude_," Daphne huffed. "Harry, you don't need to show us anything."

"Oh, I don't mind," he assured them. He pushed up his fringe and gave them a glance at the lightning scar on his forehead. "It's not like I remember it."

Theo exchanged a long glance with his sister that made it obvious to everyone that they were using their twin bond, so Draco moved on and ignored them.

"We were wondering who took you shopping last month."

"Oh," Harry blinked. "Hagrid did. He's the groundskeeper at Hogwarts."

"That oaf?" Draco made a face. "Surely for Harry Potter, they could've sent someone better."

"Ignore him," Daphne requested while Blaise smacked his arm. "He's a bit of a prat, but he's growing out of it. The rest of us are nice, I promise."

"Hagrid's nice," Harry insisted. "He's the one that told me I'm a wizard."

"You didn't even know you were a wizard?" Draco gawked. At the shake of his head, the blonde boy threw a box of Bertie Bott's at Emilie. She jumped and looked at him, startled. "Dumbledore definitely didn't put him with muggles because he ran out of options."

Theo picked up the box of candy and chucked it back at him, hard. "What does it matter?"

"Well, I mean, he's with muggles."

"Draco," Emilie sighed, rubbing her face tiredly. "Contrary to what your father thinks, the flawed man that he is, muggles are not completely inept. Harry's aunt and uncle could be perfectly lovely people, you know."

Draco's eyes drifted back to Harry's. "Are they?"

"Are they what?"

"Lovely."

Harry hesitated. "No, but other muggles are."

"There we go," Draco waved at her. "They're not. Muggles are pretty useless."

"No, they aren't," she insisted.

"They're just _muggles_!"

Theo felt the anger rushing through her before anything happened, and he looked at Harry. "This isn't going to be pretty. They're not always like this, I promise."

"_Muggles_ are perfectly complex and interesting people!" Emilie snapped at Draco. Her hair began to spark, prompting Harry to shift away from her. "They have lives and thoughts and they have _weapons_ and- and they're an entire society! We're not _above_ them, just because we have magic!"

"How the hell would you know, anyway? Your dad's one of the worst people I've ever met and even _he_ agrees with Father."

"My father?" Emilie scoffed. "Comparing yours to mine only casts your dad in a poor light, Draco. My father belongs in Azkaban. _He_ didn't teach me about muggles."

"Then who _did_? Because clearly, they're wrong!"

"My mum!"

Draco fell quiet quickly. At some point during their argument, they'd each gotten to their feet. Now that it was very abruptly over, Theo grabbed her arm gently and pulled her back into her seat. "That's not fair, Nott."

"I can't believe you're _still_ complaining," Daphne shook her head. "She's right, too. Get your pureblood head out of your ass, already."

"I'm… confused," Harry told Blaise. "Why does he think muggles are… whatever that was?"

"Blood purity," Blaise explained. "His father and Theo and Em's father taught them that shit since they were young. We've been trying to get Draco to realize that his father has some messed up views, but he won't listen as long as daddy's still buying him new brooms."

"Blood purity is bigotry," Daphne continued for him. "Do you know the different blood types?"

"Like… A positive?"

Daphne's brow furrowed. "What? No. What is that?"

"It's the kind of blood we have," he explained. "I'm AB positive."

"Um… no, not that. All of us, except for you, we're purebloods. It means that our parents were both magical, and so were their parents. You're a half-blood."

"What does that mean? Both of my parents were magical, weren't they?"

"Yes, they were, but Lily Potter was muggleborn."

"Because my grandparents didn't have magic," he gathered. "So that makes me a half-blood?"

"Yep," she confirmed. "Some people think that muggles, muggleborns, and even half-bloods aren't as good as purebloods. There was a war about it."

"The… war that my parents died in?" Harry wondered softly. "That everyone thinks I ended?"

"That would be the one," Blaise said with a nod. "Personally, I think that's ridiculous. You're a kid, just like us. Probably don't even know any spells yet, either."

"None of us do, do we?"

"We do," Draco disagreed. He seemed to be finished pouting, just as Theo had calmed Emilie down. "Our parents have taught us some magic growing up."

"I definitely didn't end a war," Harry told them. "I mean, I have this scar, but I didn't _do_ anything."

"Be prepared for everyone to disagree," Emilie warned him. "Dumbledore might've placed you with muggles, but he did nothing to stop everyone from praising you for killing the Dark Lord."

"He's the headmaster, right? His name was on my letter. Hagrid said he works for him."

"Hogwarts headmaster, ruler of our world," Theo rolled his eyes. "Albus Dumbledore oversees the lawmaking, and he's got a lot of political power. He's not a great man, despite the hero worship going on."

"What do you mean?"

"Well," Daphne said slowly. "Albus Dumbledore was the one that defeated Gellert Grindelwald. Grindelwald was the last Dark Lord before Lord Voldemort. Dumbledore defeated him and was praised over and over."

"As if everyone forgot when he was working _with_ Grindelwald," Draco muttered bitterly. "His old man, grandfatherly act is just an act."

"So because of his political power… he put me with my aunt and uncle?" Harry frowned.

"Well, there could be a few reasons," Daphne allowed. "He was friends with your parents, since they joined his Order when they left school. I don't know who your regent is, but whoever it was, it doesn't seem like they ever got involved with you. There's a chance they died in the war and were never replaced. Politics could, in fact, be the other reason. We just don't know."

"But you're saying it was him?"

"Yeah."

Harry quieted, still frowning.

"Well," Emilie said after a brief silence. She got to her feet and reached to pull something out of her bag. "I'm going to get a drink. Do you guys need anything?"

"Pumpkin juice," Daphne requested with a thankful smile.

"Get me a cauldron cake," Blaise grinned. "And maybe a pumpkin juice, too."

"I'll come with," Draco decided. He got to his feet and led her out of the compartment. Once they were gone, Harry looked at everyone in confusion.

"Weren't they just fighting?"

"Yep."

"They fought the day I met them," he added.

"They _always_ fight," Blaise told him. "Obviously, it doesn't take them long to get over it. He's probably going to apologize for being a prat."

"Well, why didn't he do it here?"

"Pureblood stuff," Theo waved him off. "It's polite. Besides, he probably wants to socialize while they're up, and since we stick to this group for the most part, Em is a good talking point."

"That's weird."

"That's our world."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Draco reached past her and dropped four sickles and three knuts into the woman's hand while Emilie grabbed their things. She'd tucked away her small money bag when he'd gotten to his feet, fully aware that he'd pay for their snacks. Finished, they began the long walk back to their compartment, which was on the other end of the train.

"Em?"

She hummed in response and handed him a few things to lighten up her arms. They'd gotten everyone drinks and each of them a treat as well, aware that they'd want it at some point.

"I didn't mean to imply anything about your mother," he said softly. She dipped her head.

"I know, Draco. I just wish you would listen to us."

Draco quieted again as they walked. It had been a recurring argument between the pair of them, but he'd never before known why she felt so strongly about it. "Your mother was a Rosier, Emilie."

"Yes."

"Where would she have learned those things?"

Emilie glanced at him and shook her head. "I don't know. She never told us. I don't even know if Uncle Evan knows."

"He didn't agree?"

"Uncle Evan doesn't talk to us about blood purity," she muttered. "We rarely see him as is. Just often enough to check on us, make sure I'm still…"

Draco fell silent. It was no secret that Theodore Sr. was abusive, but the adults had kept it quiet that he'd tried more than once to kill her. Between him, Blaise, Daphne, and Astoria, he was the only one that knew.

It had happened in the middle of the night, and it had been an accident. All of the kids had fallen asleep together in a large sitting room in Malfoy Manor with pillows and blankets spread all over. Theo and Emilie had fallen asleep together, and Draco had been closest to them. He'd only woken when he'd heard whimpering from behind him, but he hadn't moved. Theo had woken Emilie, and when he'd asked in a whisper what the nightmare was, she'd told him six simple words - "Dad tried to kill me again."

Draco hadn't moved or spoken for the rest of the night while Theo had comforted her, and they'd never mentioned it, but the twins had known that he knew. It was something in the way they looked at him the next morning that had made it clear to him that he'd stumbled on a very precarious secret that he needed to keep to himself.

"The point is," she said, startling him out of his memories. "I'd really appreciate it if you could just… try to have an open mind, Draco. We're going to meet new people, and being cruel to them won't necessarily do well for us in the future."

"You're not going to argue that they've got worth?"

"Well, they do, but right now I want you to just focus on acting like a true Slytherin and shutting your mouth when you encounter something you dislike," she answered honestly. It wasn't said in malice, but rather concern.

"Fine, Nott, but it's on you."

"_What_ is?"

"If I find myself with mudbloods for friends."

She let out a small snort and patted his back. "If that happens, feel free to hex me."

"Perhaps that spell Evan taught us," he said thoughtfully. She smiled softly and nudged him with her arm.

"I think Narcissa would be a bit angry with you if you disintegrated me."

"I think my Mum might love you more than she loves me."

Emilie snickered. "Perhaps if you weren't a horrible child, she wouldn't. How long do you wager it'll take you to get detention?"

"Detention?"

The voice startled both of them, and while they turned around together, Draco found himself stepping in front of her slightly. The boy in front of them looked somewhat older, but unfamiliar to them both.

"I'm sorry?" Emilie asked him curiously.

"I would be impressed if you first years got detention already," he continued on, pushing back his wavy black hair. It fell just below his ears, which he used to keep it out of his face. "The prefects haven't even left their meeting yet."

"Prefects can give detention on the train?" Draco asked, shocked.

"I was trying to guess how long it would take for Draco to get in trouble," she explained. She shifted the things she held around a bit and held her hand out. "Emilie Nott."

He smirked at her and kissed her knuckles. "Lovely to meet you, Miss Nott. I heard you had a shadow. Assumedly, it isn't Malfoy."

"Please, call me Emilie. I assume you mean my brother?" she guessed. At his nod, she tilted her head back toward the compartments. "He's with our friends. Obviously, you know Draco, then."

"We haven't met," he disagreed. "But the hair is as recognizable as a Weasley."

Draco did his best not to shift at what he felt was an insult. "Draco. And you are?"

"Antonin Dolohov," he introduced himself. Emilie's eyes lit up and she offered him a bright smile, one which he returned. "I've been told you know a friend of mine."

"Thorfinn," she confirmed, shifting their things again. She cursed them both mentally for not asking for a small bag to carry it in. "Yes, we've met a few times."

"Curious, then, that we haven't," he commented. He reached out and grabbed a few things for her and waved them forward. They started making their way back to the compartment, this time with the elder Slytherin in tow. "I heard your father is petitioning to lower the age to name heirs to twelve."

Emilie's eyes shot to him, and she stopped walking abruptly. "He is?"

"Yes. He has the support of many of us. You were unaware?"

"If he's-," she paled slightly, but it was the only sign of panic on her face. "I was not aware, no. Do you know what else he's said about it?"

"Only that he wishes to name your brother heir as soon as he can," he said slowly, eyeing her. "And Lord after that. That law is still in review, however."

Emilie felt sick as she took in the words. She'd heard her father, numerous times, claim that as soon as Theo was heir and then Lord, he could kill her and his arrest wouldn't matter. The survival of his family, of leaving their family only in their hands, was all that mattered to him aside from killing her. She'd been told that it was her fault that Maria had died ever since that tragic day, and that he'd get back at her for it. He'd certainly tried, but she didn't think he'd actually put forward laws to get Theo named heir before he was fourteen. The second that happened, Theo would _have_ to be Lord Nott as soon as he was of age. It was the largest card Theo held - refusing to carry on their House.

"Emilie!" Draco said, grabbing her arm lightly to shake her out of it. She blinked a few times before looking between the two boys in front of her.

"I need to find Theo," she whispered. Without another word to either of them, she turned and hurried back to the compartment.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

By the time Draco got back to his friends, the things she'd been holding had been dumped on a seat and Emilie and Theo were missing. He dropped his things down as well and sat, frowning. "She's not back yet? I talked to him for ten minutes trying to excuse her running away. He didn't even believe any of it."

"She didn't say what happened," Daphne sighed. "What is it?"

"House matters," he answered. He could've just told them what had been said, but it would've led to questions on why the new laws scared her so badly. "We ran into Dolohov."

"I assume you sucked up to him," Blaise said as he grabbed his cauldron cake and tossed a chocolate frog to Harry.

"He seemed more interested in Emilie," Draco muttered, irritated. "I'm sure we'll see him again sometime soon, especially since I'll be in Slytherin."

"Who is he?" Harry asked. He opened the chocolate frog and jumped in surprise when the frog leaped from the box. Blaise quickly closed the window, so the frog landed there and was promptly handed back to him.

"Antonin Dolohov," Daphne said, sipping at her pumpkin juice with a pleased sigh. "Draco's supposed to befriend him. He's part of a powerful family like the rest of us."

"Father lost a lot of good connections over time," Draco explained to the clueless boy. "He's tasked me with gaining them again. New generation, and all. Emilie already knows Rowle, so that makes things even easier."

"How'd she meet them, anyway?" Blaise questioned, confused. "We were their first friends, right?"

"Not exactly," Daphne disagreed. "She told me that she once spent two weeks with Evan, and she met a few other people then. It explains Rowle, and I heard her talking about Avery a couple years ago. I think she writes them pretty regularly."

The compartment door slid open and the twins stepped inside once more, both looking quite spooked. Emilie, at least, looked somewhat calmer than she'd been when she ran off. Content with her state, Draco handed her the peppermint toads she'd wanted. "You'll have to talk to him again."

"I know," she replied quietly. "What'd you say?"

"That you were feeling ill being away from home."

"Draco!"

"Well, what do you expect me to say? You ran off suddenly. He's suspicious, Em. You're better than that."

"I know."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

The rest of the train ride was filled with nerves, jokes, and a lot of filling Harry in on the Wizarding world. By the time they'd gotten to Hogsmeade's train station, all of the kids had managed to change into their robes and stash their remaining sweets away in their bags. Blaise and Harry had even taken another trip to the cart to buy more to sustain them until they could bribe third years into getting more for them.

The boats were terrifying and Blaise did his absolute best to tip them over. There must've been some charm on them, because all six of them got to the other side completely dry, if a bit irritated with their unapologetic friend. Hagrid led them up to the castle, where Professor McGonagall stopped them at the doors to the front hall and gave them a quick, short speech and left them there to prepare everyone for them.

Harry was momentarily distracted by a boy with red hair. While he said hello, Emilie reached down and picked up a toad that tried to move past her. "Hello, there. Who do you belong to?"

"H-he's mine," a brown-haired boy stuttered. She turned to the side and offered him a smile, handing the toad over. "His name's Trevor."

"What a lovely name for a toad," she commented. "You should keep him close. They might think he's a part of the frog choir if he gets too far away."

"Y-yeah, thanks."

"-definitely a blast-ended skrewt," someone was telling Harry. She spun and caught sight of the pair. "My brother, Charlie, told me it's a dragon, but I don't trust him, 'cause our brother Bill lets him _study_ dragons."

"Wouldn't he know better, then?" Harry wondered. The boy seemed to consider this before shaking his head, albeit nervously.

"No, Mum said Dumbledore wouldn't let a dragon in here. Too dangerous."

"For what it's worth, there aren't any creatures involved in the Sorting," Emilie told him. "It's just a hat. The rumors of dragons and other things are old. I had a third year tell me a month ago that I'd face a dragon."

"See?" he exclaimed. "Proof!"

"_Or_," Theo interrupted. "Thorfinn wanted to rile her up, and it worked. She sent him back a strongly worded letter, telling him not to scare kids like you. I got the impression he found it pretty funny."

"Well, Charlie and this Thor guy wouldn't lie," he insisted. Emilie snorted.

"Clearly, you've never met him."

"Well, why would they tell the _same_ lie? It has to be true."

"Fine. We'll pass his table on the way up there, and I'll ask him."

"Fine," he agreed with a small huff.

"I'm Emilie, by the way," she held her hand out. He glanced at it and back at her face, ignoring the hand.

"Ron Weasley."

"Pleasure," she rolled her eyes.

It was another two minutes later when McGonagall opened the doors again and began slowly leading them through. Being at the head of the group, Emilie guided Ron toward the side upon spotting Thorfinn. He shot her a wink and a grin, but she pulled Ron closer.

"Tell him you were lying," she ordered.

"About?" he raised an eyebrow at her.

"The dragons."

"Sweetheart, would I lie to you?"

"Every time we talk," she confirmed, glancing back. "Hurry, we have to move."

He grinned. "It would be no fun if you didn't get to find out on your own, Emilie. Go on, be Sorted. I expect you and your little friends to sit with us."

Irritated but out of time, Emilie stepped away from him and hurried up to the others with Ron at her side, shooting her a glare.

"What was the point of _that_?"

"I hoped that, for once in my life, he wouldn't attempt to get on my last nerve," she replied. "But I was wrong. I mean it though, there's no dragons."

"But he's a Slytherin!" Ron exclaimed, earning a few stares. He quieted, but he still looked at her in disgust. "You're friends with a _Slytherin_?"

"Many, upon being Sorted," she confirmed. Sensing she was definitely not wanted anymore, she slipped through the small group and came to stand at Blaise's side and shifted to whisper to her friends. "If we don't sit with Rowle, I'll have a very irritated third year annoying me until the end of time."

There were various short nods, and finally, McGonagall started calling students up. It took some time before one of them were called, but finally, they were.

"Greengrass, Daphne!"

Daphne squared her shoulders and made her way calmly up to the stood. The hat fell on her head after she sat and it stayed there for nearly thirty seconds before it spoke.

"Slytherin!"

With a please smile, Daphne was shooed over to the Slytherin table. She sat down near Rowle, but not next to him, giving her friends room to sit as well.

"Bets Malfoy goes to Gryffindor?" Blaise whispered with a snicker. Draco glared darkly at him and punched his arm. "Seem pretty courageous to me, Malfoy, hitting me in front of all the teachers."

"Shut it," he hissed.

"Malfoy, Draco."

Draco walked up in a bit of a hurry and sat down, looking determined. The hat seemed to take longer on him, and it was almost what they'd consider a hat stall. Luckily, his face cleared suddenly, just before the hat called out again.

"Slytherin!"

Relieved, Draco slipped around the other side of the table and sat across from Daphne, which was conveniently next to Dolohov.

Directly after Draco came the twins, and neither were prepared. As they were going by alphabetical order, they already knew who would go first, and though they did have a plan, they were both afraid.

"Nott, Emilie!"

Emilie walked up calmly and sat down. The hat fell on her head, and she shivered slightly at the rough feeling of the fabric brushing across her face. Much to her surprise, the hat seemed to be more sentient than she'd thought, to the extent that it spoke to her.

"_Ah, Miss Nott… where to leave you? I usually put your type in Slytherin, of course, but… oh, you would do well in Gryffindor, wouldn't you?_"

"_Don't take me from my friends_," she whispered. "_If I'm not in Slytherin, Father will be furious._"

"_In that case… _Slytherin!"

She breathed out in relief and moved before McGonagall had even removed the hat completely and made the short walk to the Slytherin table, where she sat down next to Thorfinn. They didn't speak for the moment it took for Theo to be sorted. It was much quicker for him, and he found his place across from her.

"Your moaning seems ridiculous now, doesn't it?" Thorfinn wondered with a quiet chuckle. She rolled her eyes at him and watched Harry sit to be Sorted.

"You didn't do much to help," she replied in a whisper. "Serves me right for bothering to write you."

"Gryffindor!"

They looked up with little surprise as Harry was shooed off of the stool. He shot them a frown as he walked over to the correct table, which welcomed him happily.

"I really thought he might be Slytherin," Emilie admitted, not to anyone in particular.

"You know him?"

Emilie looked up at Dolohov, who was watching her curiously, and she nodded. "He sat with us on the train, and we met in Diagon Alley."

"He wouldn't do well here," Daphne pointed out. "It's probably safer for him in Gryffindor."

Someone on Thorfinn's other side hummed. "We have our ways."

"Let's not scare the first years, Augustus," Thorfinn shot him a look. "No point in attacking Potter, anyway."

"He doesn't know anything," Emilie told her friend, pointedly ignoring Augustus, as per usual. She knew him, of course, perhaps even better than Rowle. They hated each other equally, but were civil only for the fact that their fathers were best friends. "Like, at all. Dumbledore thrust him on some muggles. Attacking him out of spite over something he doesn't remember doing and likely _didn't_ do is… childish."

"Careful, sweetheart," Thorfinn warned her. He wasn't looking at her but rather the first years being sorted, but his voice was quiet. "There are some here that would attack you just for saying that."

"Don't mind her," Draco told him. "She doesn't know how to shut her mouth."

"I'll shut _your_ mouth, Malfoy," Emilie huffed.

"Well, what a relaxing birthday," Theo said dryly. "Happy birthday, Em. Try not to get hexed."

"Happy birthday," she replied absently. They'd celebrated the day before, so it had been the last thing on their minds that day. "Why does Blaise have to be dead last?"

"Because he's the most irritating of us all," Daphne suggested, earning a snort from Draco. "Oh, sorry, Draco. Behind you, of course."

"Cranky, away from Astoria?" He suggested, gaining an irritated glance but no retort. Everyone knew the sisters were almost as close as Emilie and Theo, so Daphne was likely anxious.

But finally, "Zabini, Blaise!"

Blaise walked up there, grinning brightly, and sat down confidently. The hat was placed on his head, and barely five seconds later, "Slytherin!"

After their last friend and the final student had sat down next to Draco, Dumbledore got up to give his speech. Just as they'd ignored most of the Sorting, they ignored that as well.

The feast was truly as amazing as they'd heard, and they only spoke out of necessity and to be polite until it was over, when the first year students were taken to the dungeons by the Slytherin prefects.

That night, they all slept heavily with full stomachs and perhaps a little dreamless sleep that Madame Pomfrey put in the drinks every year at the Welcoming feast.

OoOoOoOoOoOo


	3. Change of Pace

**Chapter Three**

_It's glowing, embers barely showing_

_Proof of life in the shadows_

_Dancing on my plans_

**September 2nd, 1991**

Breakfast the next morning was a tiring ordeal.

It had taken light hexes to wake Draco, and he'd been rather cranky ever since. As for Daphne and Emilie, they certainly weren't in the best of moods. They had been placed in a room with Pansy Parkinson, who was tolerable at best and unbearable at worst. She'd gone on and on for two hours after they'd gotten to their dorms about what their classes would be like, how their dorm could use a makeover, and how the three of them would be such good friends.

Theo watched his sister as she held her tea in front of her face and stared at the table as if debating the merits of just taking a nap right there. "Missing Astoria?"

"God, I would give _anything_ to have her here instead of Parkinson," Daphne confirmed for both of them. She'd already had three cups of tea within ten minutes of sitting down and, much more awake, was working on her eggs. "Parkinson's an only child, and she apparently doesn't understand that none of us bloody slept the night before last."

Emilie groaned quietly in agreement, and Theo gently pushed her teacup to her lips. Finally, she began drinking the tea. After she'd emptied it completely, she set the cup down and dropped her head onto her arm on the table.

"Well, I came to check on my favorite little snake, but I suppose I can come back when she returns to the land of the living."

She tilted her head to the side and peeked an eye open. "Kill me, Avery."

He reached into his pocket and presented her with a small vial of a dark purple liquid. "Perhaps this will help."

Emilie gasped and picked her head up a little. "Is that a pepper up?"

"All yours," he confirmed, handing it over. When she went to grab it, he pulled it back a little and raised an eyebrow. "Under one condition."

"You're all evil," she groaned. "You, Thorfinn, you want to torture me, don't you?"

"Em," Theo scolded lightly, despite the amusement clearly written on Avery's face.

"I need a meeting with your father."

The jokes fell away and Emilie immediately condemned herself to exhaustion and academic adequacy. "Are there any favors you need that I can actually do? Father's more likely to throw me to muggles than do anything I ask him, especially if it involves you, Thorfinn, or Uncle Evan. Better yet, he'd probably prefer kissing Dumbledore's feet than doing anything for us."

"Well, if you can't get me to your father," he said thoughtfully. It was an act, of course - they knew he had never intended to meet with him. "I suppose I could trade this for a quick favor Saturday night."

"And what is it?" she frowned at him.

"You have curse breaking skills," he reminded her. "All we need is access to those skills."

"_We_?"

"Thorfinn, Antonin, and myself."

"Give me the bloody potion," she decided. Pleased, he handed it over and watched her drink it down. Immediately, she felt the effects and found herself straightening and feeling much more awake. "Thank Merlin."

"Ah," he said. He grabbed an envelope out of his pocket and passed it over to her. "Good luck, pet. The first day is the worst."

She waved at him absently as he walked away. Once he was gone, she tore open the envelope and leaned closer to Theo so he could read the letter with her. She already knew it was from Evan as he always wrote to them through her friends. The letters usually came with their letters, and it had prompted the friendship that had formed between them. She suspected Evan might've told Thorfinn and Avery about their father, but as they'd never said anything, she didn't bother mentioning it.

_Emilie and Theo,_

_By the time this letter reaches Hogwarts, you will likely be in bed already. I would like to congratulate you both on what I'm certain was a Slytherin placement. It is well deserved, and I trust you will be at the top of your year._

_I returned home earlier to another letter from Lady Malfoy about some rumors she'd been told by two kids who, apparently, don't know how to keep secrets. Truly, it's sad. I enjoy teaching you both magic, but if you can't manage to keep our lessons to yourselves, I'm afraid I must stop for fear of Lady Malfoy using her extensive knowledge of curses on me._

_This letter comes with a slight warning: I believe Rowle and Avery may approach you both for a favor, and I'd request you politely decline. I'm unsure what they're planning, but from what Lord Rowle told me, it seems to be potentially illegal. At the very least, don't get caught. _

_As always, the Wizengamot is dull. I was slightly concerned to learn that your father will next month be passing a law that will allow him to name Theo as heir upon your twelfth birthday, which I'm aware was today. I sent my gift for you both to Avery, so see to it that you get it. _

_As for the law, no one is fighting it. I'm afraid there's no chance that it'll fail, and you must prepare to be named heir swiftly, Theo. His law on lowering the Lord age was met with a bit more resistance, and I will continue fighting that. In the event that things line up for your father, I am prepared to take emergency custody of you, Emilie._

_You will persist. You will survive._

_All my love,_

_Evan._

"Prat," Emilie muttered, glaring at the letter. "Bloody Slytherin prat."

"Who's she complaining about?" Blaise wondered, coming to sit on Theo's other side. He plucked up the letter and read it through. When he was finished, he looked between them. "Am I missing something? I assume you're not insulting Evan."

"Uncle Evan is great," Theo confirmed with a sigh. "Avery just bribed Em into agreeing to help him do Merlin knows what, and it seems he both deliberately waited to give us the letter until she'd agreed, and he's holding onto our gifts, probably until afterward."

"Man, this is why you don't get into shit with older Slytherins," Blaise laughed. He poured himself some pumpkin juice and drank it down quickly. He already had more energy than the rest of them combined, but that was typical for him, and also the reason he didn't drink coffee or tea. "Sneaky bastards."

"They're only actually a year older than us," Theo told their friend, who blinked.

"They're third years."

"They're third years and we're a year older than you guys," he reminded Blaise. "So, only a year."

"We're going to be late to class," Emilie grumbled over their conversation. She pulled her bag over her shoulder and got to her feet and walked away without checking to make sure anyone was following her.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Potions was a bit of a mess, truthfully.

Snape made it rather clear immediately that he did _not_ like Harry, and he'd asked him questions that no first year could answer. It had taken a great deal of restraint and a couple of kicks from various friends for Emilie to stay quiet, and she'd made sure to approach Harry after class with Draco in tow.

It was how she'd found herself - and Draco, reluctantly - following Harry and Ron to Hagrid's hut. It was uncomfortably small for such a large man and, apparently, his rather large dog. Still, he made it work and he had them sat in a few chairs around a table as he made them tea.

"This is Ron," Harry told Hagrid first.

"Another Weasley, eh? I've spent half my life chasing your twin brothers away from the forest."

"Are they suicidal?" Draco asked before he could stop himself. "There are centaurs in there- there's _wolves_ in there!"

"What d'you know, Malfoy?" Ron sneered. "You're a first year, just like me."

"His parents taught us about the forbidden forest before they even taught us about the Houses," Emilie explained. "To make sure we wouldn't get ourselves killed in there."

"And who's this then?" Hagrid asked with a smile. He placed tea and rock-hard cakes on the table for them and sat.

"Emilie Nott," she introduced, offering her hand. He shook it lightly, much too aware of his own strength. "And that's my friend, Draco Malfoy."

"Malfoy," Hagrid repeated. "I remember your father."

"Evil?" Ron asked, shooting a look at Draco.

"Ron, how's your brother, Charlie?" Hagrid asked, promptly and abruptly shifting the conversation for them. Ron's face changed to a slight pout.

"He said there'd be dragons last night."

"Well, I _told you_," Emilie shrugged. "It's not my fault third-year Slytherins are not to be trusted."

"Even _you_ don't think they're trustworthy!" Ron exclaimed. "So how can you be friends with them?"

"Because while annoying, they _are_ technically trustworthy. It's- it's Slytherin mechanics, really. You wouldn't understand."

"What, because I'm stupuid?"

"Because you're- what? _No_! I just mean, there's an entire culture around these things that you're not a part of, and it would take far too long to explain it to you when I don't even care about this conversation."

"I don't get it," Ron turned to Harry. "Why are you friends with her, again?"

"Because she's nice when you're not around," Harry muttered under his breath.

"How are your classes?" Hagrid asked. Harry was more than willing to let him change the subject again, and the pair of them did their best for the rest of the time they were there to keep Emilie and Draco from fighting with Ron.

By the time they left later that night for dinner, they'd all collectively come to the decision that Emilie and Draco would never be friends with Ron, and it was likely better to just avoid them getting together if at all possible.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

**September 7th, 1991**

"It's _fine_," Emilie smacked away Theo's hands. "Seriously, I'll be fine. Just stay here and make sure Blaise doesn't get into my homework."

"I'm just saying, this could be a bad idea," he insisted. "What if something happens?"

"But nothing will happen. I'll be back, okay? I already wrote Uncle Evan and told him I'm going, so if I die, he can have them arrested."

"Emilie!"

She rolled her eyes and pulled on her cardigan and made her way toward the door. "I'll come find you when I get back."

Theo frowned at her, but he didn't try to stop her again, so she made her way out of the boys' first year dorm and up to the common room, where she spotted the fourth year boys already waiting by the door. When she got to them, she saw they each had their wands and wore their outer robes.

"You're late."

"Well, my brother seems to think going with three older Slytherins to god knows where while I owe them a debt is a bad idea," she said dryly. "And if we don't leave now, he's probably going to run up here and insist he joins us."

"In that case," Thorfinn waved at the door and walked with her out of the common room. It was ten past curfew - for her, at least - so not getting detention was on them.

"Will you tell me what we're doing, now?"

"No."

Irritated, she fell silent and followed them. They took a few turns and led her to a portrait. Avery knocked lightly on the frame and pulled her back just before it swung open. She stared at it in surprise and only moved when he then pushed her forward gently. They stepped into a sort of tunnel. It looked old, but they seemed familiar enough with it that when it split off to the left and right, they easily moved to the right.

After a long, silent walk, Dolohov tapped his wand to the wall they came to. After a few beats, the wall opened up to a bright light, and they made their way out of the tunnel and into what seemed to be a basement.

"You're late," a voice grunted. Emilie glanced at it as Thorfinn helped her with the large step up to get out, and she felt fear run through her at the sight before her.

She knew who they were with. They'd never met, of course, but she'd seen pictures and heard stories. He was, perhaps, the largest example of why werewolves were horrible and needed to be kept track of.

She barely even noticed as Avery and Thorfinn both stepped in front of her, as if to hide her. It was somewhat ridiculous, in her mind, as Greyback would already have either smelled or even seen her. Despite that thought, she didn't dare move.

"Then we'd best hurry, shouldn't we?" Dolohov said, sounding much too calm. "Where is it?"

Greyback tossed him a long piece of ribbon. "There and back. Don't take long. I've got things to do that don't involve babysitting twelve-year-old girls."

Emilie tensed, but the boys in front of her didn't. Instead, Thorfinn turned around and handed her the end of the ribbon they'd been given.

"Do _not_ let go of it," he told her firmly. "Hold onto me, or you'll fall."

"Is this a portkey?" she asked quietly.

Thorfinn grabbed her hand within his own, and she grimaced but held it tightly. She'd only used a portkey once before, and it had ended in a mess of six kids on the ground and Astoria with a sprained wrist.

"_Portus_!"

It didn't take them long to get wherever they went, but she did find her feet coming out from under her. Despite holding Thorfinn's hand, it was Dolohov that grabbed her and held her up. Thankfully, with his help, she landed on her feet.

"Are you okay?"

"Fine," she assured them, looking around. They were outside of a large building that she didn't recognize, and it was raining. When she put her hand up, she could feel the wards they stood outside of. "You need in there?"

"We need you to get us inside and into a heavily protected safe," Avery confirmed. "These wards are tough, pet."

"I can do it," she assured them. "I've been learning curse breaking for six years. I'd ask what you need in there for, but I'm not sure I want to know."

"You don't," Thorfinn confirmed. "How long do you expect this to take?"

Emilie reached out with her magic to touch the wards. Immediately, there was a burn against her magic so painful that she jumped away from the wards and hissed. She looked down at her hand, despite the fact that it was her magic that had been hurt. "These are _blood wards_. If I hadn't moved, they could've killed me."

"But you can do it?" Dolohov pushed. She hesitated.

"Yes. With time. Hours, maybe. How secure are we out here?"

"We'll be fine," Avery assured her. "But hurry."

Shaking her head, Emilie set to work. Having not had a wand at such a young age, she and Theo had learned curse breaking wandlessly, and she found it difficult to work with a wand, so she ignored it and began unravelling the wards.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Two and a half hours and _many_ magical burns later, and Emilie tipped her head back. "There's a hole. To get us all through, I need a drop of blood from each of you."

"Why, exactly?"

"Blood wards are… difficult," she shook her head. "And these are strong and very old. Whatever family they're set up for, only that family is meant to get in. I need to add some of each of our blood so that it doesn't try to kill all of us like it's been trying to kill me."

Dolohov moved first. He used his wand to prick his finger and levitated the blood for her to where she directed him. It sizzled when it hit the wards, and for just a second, all of the wards were visible as they accepted the blood.

Thorfinn, Avery, and Emilie followed suit, and finally, she nodded in satisfaction.

"It should be good now," she told them. "I guess we'll see."

"How?"

Glancing at them, she moved to step forward. Before she could step through the wards, a hand wrapped around her arm and pulled her back. "Hey!"

"Go," Avery nodded. She watched, frustrated, as Thorfinn stepped through the wards instead. Only once he'd successfully made it through was she released, and she smacked his arm.

"Don't grab me like that," she snapped, biting the inside of her cheek. She _hated_ being grabbed, but more than that, she hated being grabbed so suddenly. It always left her anxious and scared for hours, no matter if she'd actually been in danger or not. Everyone around her knew how to handle her issues, but as she'd rarely seen them, Avery and Thorfinn didn't.

"I don't need Evan asking me how we got you killed," Avery replied evenly.

"I don't care," she insisted, crossing her arms over her chest. "Don't touch me."

"We need to move," Dolohov interrupted the look Avery was giving her that spoke equally of irritation and concern. "We've taken long enough already."

Avery waved for her to move. Attempting to push down the deep anxiety that had risen within her, she stepped past the wards and saw Thorfinn opening the door. She hurried to catch up to him and looked around as they stepped inside the house.

Immediately to the right, there was a staircase, and he turned to take the stairs two at a time. With significantly shorter legs, Emilie hurried up behind him. When they got to the top, he looked around quietly, and she vaguely registered the sound of two more people walking up the stairs. "Where is it?"

"It's supposed to be in the office," he replied in a whisper. She decided to wander around while he found the room in question, opening a few doors curiously. There were some bedrooms, most of which were dusty and dark. The fourth door she opened held a large desk, some chairs, and to the side of the room, a couch. There were shelves on the walls with numerous books, and behind the desk, she spotted exactly what they were looking for.

Leaving the door open for them, Emilie stepped inside and over to the safe. Immediately, she could feel that the wards were connected to the house itself. Having tapped into those, she pricked her finger again and dropped the blood on the wards above the safe. They lit up brightly for a moment before the safe swung open and she got sight of what was inside.

Truthfully, it was pretty boring.

There was some papers, most of which seemed to be either property papers or contracts of other sorts. There were some files with unfamiliar names on them as well. There were a few heirlooms in there, but nothing that caught her eye. Finally, there was a ceremonial bowl and dagger with two rings inside.

An arm reached past her to grab at them and she quickly pushed it away. "Don't! It's only connected to me. What do you need?"

"What happened to no touching?"

"Well, _I_ wasn't about to kill myself. What do you need?" she repeated.

"The rings," Dolohov called from the door, where he leaned lazily.

"Take the knife, too," Thorfinn suggested. "Keep it."

"Why?" she wondered. She reached in and shifted some things around carefully to grab the rings first. She pulled them out and dropped them in Avery's hand.

"To stab anyone that wants to hurt you."

It was a calm answer, but Emilie could tell he was serious. After a moment of consideration, she pulled it out - with its sheath - and put it in her pocket. "Those are lord and heir rings, aren't they?"

"Keep asking questions," Dolohov looked at her, amused. "We will answer you."

"Good point," she muttered. It took a moment to close the safe once more. Once she had, the group slipped out of the dark house. After getting to the street, they all gripped the ribbon again and sent themselves back to Hogsmeade.

Greyback was nowhere in sight that time, probably sick of waiting for them, so they opened the wall themselves and made the walk back to the castle after leaving the rings on a table. They managed to get back to the common room without running into prefects or teachers, luckily, and when they got there, Emilie found herself relaxing greatly.

"Whatever we just did, I'd like to forget about it," she requested. Dolohov had slipped away, leaving her only with her friends. "And for the record, it was definitely worth the Pepper Up."

"I had it brewed a week before school started," Thorfinn smirked at her. "I had a feeling you'd need it, sweetheart."

"Should we be concerned that you left the wards in the state that they were in?" Avery wondered. Emilie tilted her head from side to side, considering it.

"I don't think so. If someone lived there and cared about the wards, they'd have killed us the second I touched the wards. My guess is, no one lives there anymore. Guessing from the rings you took, it was a fallen family?"

"Em!"

While she didn't turn around, the two Slytherins in front of her glanced up at Theo, who had finally made his way up from his dorm.

"You should get to bed," Avery suggested. "You must be tired."

"There's no way I'm leaving you alone until you give us what Uncle Evan sent."

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean."

"You're holding our birthday presents hostage," she stared at him. "And I understood until we finished this, but we have, so give them to me."

"Merlin, Avery," Thorfinn looked at his friend, irritated. "You stole their birthday presents? You don't think bribing her with a potion is enough? Give her the bloody gifts."

Avery waved his wand and a moment later, two boxes flew into his hands. He passed them over with a small chuckle. "I kept them on the off chance Evan convinced her not to help us."

"You're a prat," she muttered as Theo came to stand at her side. "But I know better than to go back on a promise. I'm not stupid, Avery."

Theo grimaced when he touched her arm. "Em, you're _exhausted_."

"Blood wards," she said in explanation. "Now we're going to go open these, I'm going to go to bed, and then I'm going to forget we just did something very illegal, and you won't mention it to me ever again."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

**September 21st, 1991**

Theo and Emilie stared in exhaustion as Draco taunted Harry after Neville was rushed to the infirmary by Madame Hooch. Emilie was deeply frustrated, but she did nothing to intervene. Draco knew how to fly, and it seemed Harry had natural talent from his father.

"Do you think he'll ever really grow out of it?" Emilie asked with a sigh. "Or do you think he's… destined to be like Lord Malfoy?"

"Enough nagging from you, he'll be perfectly normal soon enough," Blaise joked. Daphne rolled her eyes at him.

"I think it'll help that he can be at school and around muggleborn kids," she added. "He's been horribly sheltered thus far."

They watched in wonder as Harry actually _caught_ the Remembrall and landed to a horde of cheering kids, with the exception of Emilie, Blaise, Theo, and Daphne. Draco had also landed, and he looked deeply irritated.

"Harry Potter!"

"Oh, shit," Blaise said, glancing over his shoulder at McGonagall, who was rushing over.

"Follow me," McGonagall demanded. She turned and began walking away, forcing him to hurry after him.

"Well, he's expelled," Blaise decided. "Time to find a new friend, Em."

"Shut up," Emilie rolled her eyes. "Detention at worst. He's _Harry Potter_."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

**October 2nd, 1991**

Emilie was sitting in the common room late that night doing her homework. She'd served a detention for getting into an argument with Ron Weasley in the middle of potions that day, and had only been released just before curfew. It was nearly twenty minutes after everyone had cleared out that the spot next to her on the couch slumped down and she glanced up in surprise to find Avery leaning back and watching her. "What are you doing?"

"Better question is, what are you doing?" he wondered. "Arguing with a hotheaded Gryffindor in front of Snape. Your father won't like that."

Emilie looked away from him. She was well aware that she'd be in a decent amount of trouble for the day's events, and it was something that had given her numerous panic attacks since the class. "What do you want, Avery?"

He hummed. "You need to learn to control yourself, Nott."

"Weasley was saying horrible things about my brother and my friends. Did you expect me to just stay quiet?"

"That is not what I was referencing," he raised an eyebrow at her, though she still refused to look at him. "Although, yes, I would expect you to ignore him. I meant, you cannot react so poorly anytime your father is mentioned, pet. You give those around you far too much control over you."

Emilie dropped her quill on her parchment and chewed on her lip. She knew he was right, but it was easier said than done. Her father had wanted her dead for most, if not all of her life, and he'd certainly attempted it more than once. If her friends' parents hadn't intervened, she was sure she _would_ be dead. It left her terrified and she had no clue how to fix that. "Do you have any suggestions, then, or are you here to tell me things I already know?"

"If you were smart, you'd kill him."

That startled her into staring at him. "Avery, you can't tell me to kill my father! Aside from the fact that patricide is a crime worthy of being Kissed, he's my _father_!"

"I'm aware that he has tried, more than once, to kill you," he told her finally. She'd never been sure how much he or Thorfinn knew about her father, which was why she'd refrained from saying anything about it at all.

"Uncle Evan needs to keep these things to himself."

"Even if Evan hadn't said anything, it's obvious," he told her, somewhat gently. "Perhaps not that he wants you dead, but that he's hurt you. You can't be touched, pet."

"Perhaps you shouldn't touch a girl without asking first," she snapped as she crossed her arms over her chest. She felt far too vulnerable, despite how much she may trust him. "I was practicing dark magic. Of course I was jumpy."

"Don't lie to me," he requested. "Tell me, when was the last time?"

"Why are you doing this?" she asked, her voice quieting. She looked over his face closely and found his forehead pinched in what she thought might be concern, but could very easily be frustration as well. "Why now? What changed, Avery?"

"The bill passed yesterday," he said plainly. Immediately, just as she had when she'd first heard of it, she paled dramatically. This time, however, she felt dizzy and wondered when it would happen. Would he bring her home from school? Would he wait until Christmas? Would he let her live until the end of the school year? And how would he do it? Was he planning methodically, or would he lose his temper on her?

If her father was going to kill her, she wanted to know how and when it would happen so she could prepare herself.

"Emilie," Avery said, his voice cutting through her fearful thoughts. She couldn't remember the last time he'd used her name, and it startled her into blinking at him with wide, terrified eyes. "When was the last time?"

It was difficult to remember the question he'd asked only minutes earlier, but when she did, she had an easy answer. "Three months ago."

She'd never seen him angry before. It was an uncomfortable sight, mostly because he looked so calm, but his eyes betrayed that. She'd been foolish to assume he'd made peace with the idea, she realized, because he was a Slytherin and for as long as she denied it or refused to confirm, there was the slimmest of possibilities that it wasn't true. Now that she'd confirmed that her father had so recently tried to murder her, his anger simmered dangerously under the surface.

"Avery?" she asked softly. "Are you…" she winced and closed her mouth. She felt far too vulnerable. She may be friends with him, and she may even trust him, but she trusted no one but Theo with how truly afraid she was. "Why are you telling me tonight? What's the point? No one can do anything if he does decide to- there's nothing anyone can do."

"Legally," he confirmed, his voice low. "There are people prepared to protect you as soon as Lord Nott names your brother heir."

"Uncle Evan mentioned taking emergency custody of me," she sighed. "But Father would never let that happen."

"Evan has no access to you currently," Avery confirmed. "You will tell me as soon as Lord Nott brings Theo to the ministry for the heir ceremonies."

Emilie, too tired to argue with him about the fact that _he_ couldn't do anything, nodded once. "Right."

Pleased that she would keep her word, he eyed her homework. "Go to bed, pet. This will take me ten minutes to finish, and I'll send it down to your dorm when I'm finished."

"Avery, you don't have to-,"

"Go," he repeated. Unsure why he was so insistent but unwilling to argue, Emilie got to her feet and wrapped the blanket she'd taken up there from her dorm around her shoulders.

"Goodnight, Avery."

"Night, pet," he said absently. She stepped away and walked to the stairs down to the dorm, but she paused to look at him again.

"Don't tell anyone," she requested. He didn't bother looking up from her homework, which he'd pulled closer to look at. "I trust you, but- don't say anything."

"Even if others already knew."

"Even then," she insisted. "Don't say anything."

"I'm not one to share the darkest secrets of the people I care for," he said, his voice so quiet she could barely hear him. "Now go to sleep, pet."

Satisfied, Emilie pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders and carefully stepped down the stairs, feeling much more afraid than she'd been in a while.

OoOoOoOoOoOo


	4. We'll Be On Fire

**Chapter Four**

_Quickly moving towards a storm_

_Moving forward, torn_

**October 31st, 1991**

Nothing much happened for the next month or so. Classes went by, and for the most part, the group of Slytherins and Harry did pretty well in them. Snape still didn't like Harry, and it was quickly clear that he hated the Boy Who Lived far more than any other student - and he certainly seemed to hate all of them.

It was Halloween night and the feast had just started when Emilie found herself finally making her way up from her dorm. She'd skipped her last two classes, claiming a migraine. In all truthfulness, she was exhausted. It had been a long month for her and her brother. Every time Theo got mail, they both tensed up. But nothing had come through from their father, aside from a couple strongly worded letters for Emilie that suggested their father was getting angrier and, possibly, less sane.

She'd planned to go to the feast with everyone else, but she'd fallen asleep an hour before the first year Slytherins' last class had let out, and it seemed her friends had decided to let her sleep to make up for the limited amount she'd gotten recently.

Slipping from the common room, she made her way through the dungeons quietly in hopes of making it in time for the feast. She hadn't eaten all day and knew she had to eat before going to bed for the night. Showing up for her friends would likely calm their nerves, too, which would keep them off her back for a while. Hopefully.

Halfway to the stairs to the Great Hall, Emilie realized she hadn't fixed her hair yet - it was a mess from sleeping on it. With a sigh, she slipped into a nearby bathroom and set to fixing it with a grimace. It really was a mess. It was difficult to fix without a brush and Daphne's help, so it took her longer than she'd expected. With a sigh, she resigned herself to taking the time it required and became a bit more forceful with her hair.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Harry let out a sigh. He was bored, really. Ron was great, at least he was when he was away from the Slytherins, but he had a wandering focus. His attention was currently on Seamus, who had mentioned meeting some old, obscure Quidditch star from decades ago. It left Harry out of the conversation and somewhat wishing he were at the Slytherin table. He could just see Blaise grinning madly at Draco, who seemed to be sporting oddly grey hair at the moment. Daphne was chuckling at them both, with Theo at her side. The only one missing was Emilie, and she'd been missing since their second to last class four hours ago.

"_Troll_!" Quirrell screamed as he burst through the doors to the Great Hall. He was running toward the head table, looking absolutely petrified. "In the dungeon! Troll in the dungeon!" Absolute silence fell in the hall, every single person quieting at the screams and turning to look at the DADA professor. "Thought you ought to know…" he said before promptly passing out.

Panic ensued. Ron was screaming and placing his sweets back on the table where he'd grabbed them. Many students had gotten to their feet, ready to sprint from the hall. Dumbledore, apparently, decided that was a good time to intervene. "Silence!" he called. And just like that, the noise and movement stopped entirely. Everyone turned to look at him from wherever they stood. Harry had ended up sandwiched between a pair of twins with bright orange hair matching Ron's - his brothers, he realized.

"Everyone will please, not panic," Dumbledore commanded. "Now. Prefects will please lead their Houses back to their dormitories. Teachers will follow me to the dungeons."

And everyone began moving. Harry and the twins were pushed into the hall, where he stopped short, forcing one of them to walk straight into him. "Oi, watch where you're-,"

"Emilie wasn't at the feast!" he exclaimed, eyes wide. "She's… somewhere in the castle."

"What's he talking about, Gred?"

"I dunno, Forge."

"My friend, Emilie!" Harry said, looking between them. With a frustrated huff, he pushed past them and out of the crowd. "Never mind, I'll find her."

But he had two redheads tailing him down the hall, and one grabbed him to slow him down. "Hey, don't walk _toward_ the troll!"

"Stop it!" he said, tugging his arm away. "She's probably in the dungeons somewhere, and if she is-,"

"Right," one of them said, pulling out an old piece of parchment. "Lucky for you, we've got just the thing to help."

"It's called the Marauder's Map," the other explained. "It shows everyone in the castle-,"

"Tell me later," Harry requested. "Find her now."

The pair rolled their eyes together, but they scanned the map until they saw her. "Dungeons, girl's loo."

Harry took off again, once more with them trailing him. They were only one floor above the dungeons, and the bathroom in question was a very short walk away. It quickly became clear, however, that Emilie had picked the worst bathroom in the castle to stop in.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Truthfully, she thought she was hallucinating at first. In her defense, a troll appearing in Hogwarts was _pretty_ unlikely. She just stared at the large thing as it ambled into the room, club in hand. She and the troll locked eyes, and it was then that she realized it was real.

Mountain trolls were notoriously aggressive to witches and wizards. Something about their magic put the trolls on edge. That was why the troll immediately swung its club at her.

Emilie ducked it, far too used to being attacked, and thanked Hecate, Circe, and Morgana that the club missed her. She scrambled across the room toward the lockers and raised her hands. She didn't know any good spells for trolls, but she knew wards that could help her.

She just needed time.

She began to draw runes in the air. The second she finished the first one, she stepped into it and felt it seep into her. She'd never tied wards to a person before, much less herself. Still, she _thought_ it felt right. Her core was active, prepared for whatever she was going to do.

The troll swung the club again and stumbled slightly as it did, forcing her to cut to the side and into a stall. She drew the next rune when she stopped moving - she had to be stationary to draw them accurately. It was slightly more complex, but she'd been taught runes and how to draw them since she learned to write, so with only a bit of difficulty, she managed it. She stepped into that one just as she heard the troll moving closer.

She ducked down again, missing the club as it broke all four stall walls down in one swift swing. Her heart raced in terror, and she crawled under the remains of the door to escape the ruined stalls. She moved to behind it, in front of the sinks again, and got to work on her final rune. It was the most complex of all of them, and took complete focus. She wasn't even able to look up as the club came swinging again. She finished drawing the rune, but she was out of time. It hit her, throwing her to the side.

The initial impact was the worst of it, but throwing her to the side was exactly what she needed. She was swept through the final rune, so when she landed roughly on the stone floor across the room, she was entirely protected from the impact.

"_Emilie_!"

She couldn't tell who had called her name, but she wanted nothing more than to tell them to leave. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to take in a breath large enough to speak. In fact, she wasn't entirely sure _how_ to speak.

"_Immobulus_!" two people screamed together. Emilie wasn't sure it would work on something so large, but before she had the time to consider that fact, she faded from consciousness entirely.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Harry ran across the wrecked bathroom, ignoring the troll whose legs were locked as it tried to get back up, and reached Emilie. She was bleeding and was unconscious, but looked not nearly as bad as he'd expected. "Guys, help!"

The twins reached him seconds later, and they shooed him away. One of them - George? - waved his wand over her. As they waited, none of them noticed three others enter the bathroom, not until someone spoke.

"_Fuck_," someone hissed. It was an older boy, a Slytherin, Harry thought, and one that he'd seen talking to Emilie before. He pushed Harry and the twins out of the way and without hesitation, pulled Emilie into his arms. Another one knelt down next to him and waved his wand over her.

"She's in rough shape," he muttered.

"We need to take her to the Infirmary," Fred stated, tapping his hand nervously. To their surprise, the one that was holding her shook his head stiffly.

"Go clear the common room and I'll get her to our dorm. Between the three of us, we can help her."

"She's hurt!" Harry exclaimed. "She has to be healed!"

"And we can heal her," the last one, the one that had hung back, said. "Get in the way and I'll stun all of you."

"She's my _friend_-,"

"She's my _responsibility_," the boy holding her snapped, getting to his feet. "If any of you even think of mentioning that she was involved in this, do not doubt that we will ensure that you and everyone you told has been Obliviated… and as we are not well practiced in the spell, I wouldn't want to force us to use it. You never know what we could destroy."

"_Merlin_," one of the twins muttered.

"Fine, but if I don't see her tomorrow, I'm telling McGonagall," Harry threatened.

Without replying, all three of them slipped from the room. Less than thirty seconds later, teachers started arriving.

"Mister Potter!"

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Avery gently placed Emilie on the spare bed in the room. She was still bleeding, and he turned to Thorfinn, who nodded shortly.

"Two broken ribs, a bad concussion, and a broken wrist. There's also some internal bleeding, and I believe the blood comes from a cut under her shirt."

Avery lifted her shirt up and caught sight of the cut in question. It spread across her upper stomach, essentially on top of her ribs. There were small splinters of wood in various places, so he got straight to removing them. "Thor, get her head."

"Dolohov would be better," Thorfinn said slowly. "We both know the history his entire family has in mind magic."

"No. It's you or I, and I'm busy," Avery disagreed shortly.

"Avery-,"

"Do it!" He snapped loudly. Thorfinn's lips thinned, but he moved to sit on the bed by her head. His fingers came to rest on her temples, and soon he was silent as he worked on the damage done to her mind. As a witch, head injuries often meant mind injuries as well. That was why head injuries were healed by healers that specialize in mind healing.

"I suppose that leaves the internal bleeding for me," Dolohov said. He didn't wait for a reply and moved across the room to the side opposite of Avery, where he pulled his wand out and began working.

While Dolohov and Avery worked, Thorfinn struggled taking care of her mind. He hadn't been lying when he'd said Dolohov would be their best choice. He had very little experience with mind magic, aside from basic Legillimency and Occlumency. He did his best, sifting through memories that were popping up all over the place. It was like her pain brought up different memories that threw themselves at him, forcing him to dodge them as he looked for what he needed.

Being unused to that sort of healing, he wasn't watching the entire space around him. Something slammed aggressively into him from behind, large and dark and heavy, and suddenly, he was thrown into what he abruptly realized was a _memory_.

"_You little _bitch_!" Theodore Sr was screaming. He charged at the small girl, much too small, and grabbed her by the throat. He didn't stop there, though. He kept running until he slammed her small body into a wall. He was shaking her while he choked her, and it wasn't long before she was grabbing at him, unable to breathe. She had tears spilling from her eyes as she looked past her father at Theo, who was trying to run to help her, but he couldn't. Not only did their father put up a child-proof shield, but Theo was also having issues leaving their mother, who Thorfinn noticed was bleeding on the floor. _

_She was dead. _

"_You fucking killed her!" Theodore screamed into Emilie's face. She was close to passing out, so he let up slightly and grabbed her by her arms instead and slammed her into the wall again. Her head hit with a loud crack, but she didn't scream. _

"_I'm sorry!" Emilie cried. "I didn't mean to!"_

"_Evan thinks I want to kill you, I _will_," he said menacingly. Without warning, he dropped her on the floor. She fell to her knees and he grabbed her by her hair and pointed his wand at her. "_Crucio_!" _

_The screams of a five-year-old girl being tortured were nearly unbearable, and Theodore didn't seem willing to let up anytime soon. In fact, it took him five minutes before he released it and glared down at her. "Look at her! Look at your mother! If you weren't such an insufferable bitch, she'd be alive! If you'd let me kill you, your brother would have a mother!"_

_Emilie shook violently as she nodded. "I'm sorry, sir."_

"Avada_-,"_

_The floo lit up, however, interrupting him. He dropped his wand as a familiar man stepped out and took a look around. _

"_Well," Armando Rookwood said slowly. "Haven't you made a mess, Nott. Put the bloody girl down if you don't want to go to Azkaban. Kill her now and we won't be able to get you out of this."_

_Reluctantly, Theodore listened to his oldest friend and dropped Emilie. She crumpled to the ground, whimpering and crying silently. _

Emilie let out a scream and _forced_ Thorfinn from her mind. It was a dangerous thing to do, and caused significant pain for both parties. Thorfinn stumbled back from the bed and gripped his head in his hands.

"Thor-," Avery stopped short, his eyes shifting to Emilie. She was certainly awake, and she shook so violently he'd have thought she'd been tortured. "Nott, breathe."

"Mum," she whispered. Her eyes were on Thorfinn, and his were on her. He was shaking as well, though it was from rage and absolute terror for her life. "She- I can't- I didn't know-,"

"Sweetheart," was all he managed. The word alone had her bursting into tears far too similar to the ones he'd seen in the memory.

"Pet," Avery said quietly. She'd squeezed her eyes shut and shook far too violently for them to continue healing her. "I don't have any calming draughts. I need you to breathe. You're hurt, and we can't heal you if you can't stop shaking."

"We might as well take her to Pomfrey," Dolohov commented, dropping his wand on the bed. The words caused Emilie's eyes to fly open.

"You _can't_," she said, her eyes shooting to her friend. "Avery-,"

"Why do you think you're in our dorm?" he pointed out. He saw her glance around and relax slightly. "We'll take care of you, pet. You just need to calm down. Whatever you saw, put it aside. You can deal with it later."

"No, I can't," she said quietly, but she did begin to focus on stilling slowly. Thorfinn came to stand next to the bed again. While Emilie had almost completely stopped, he was still shaking lightly. He'd heard the rumors, of course, and he'd always known Evan worried for her.

But Evan was a doting uncle, and the Nott family was nearly as notorious for abusing their children as the Black family. So of course they'd assumed Lord Nott had hurt the kids, but not too bad. Neither of them had ever been in bad shape when he'd seen them, suggesting Evan was simply overreacting. Still, he and Avery had sworn to look out for Emilie.

Perhaps Thorfinn had been naive, or maybe he'd simply been uninterested in the beginning, but he'd never imagined Lord Nott would try to murder his daughter. More than that, the man had been heartbroken over the loss of his wife. The thought that he'd _killed_ his wife… well, looking at the small, terrified girl on the bed, he figured it made some sense now.

"Antonin, keep working on the bleeding," Avery requested, referring to the internal bleeding, since Avery had managed to heal up the cut on her stomach. It had scarred horribly, but since he didn't have any dittany, it was the best he could do. When the Russian boy had gone back to taking care of the most dangerous injury, Avery got to his feet and pushed Thorfinn out of the way until he sat by her head instead. "Alright, pet. You've got a concussion, so I need to take care of it. That's what Thor was doing before. I'm a bit more practiced than him in healing minds, so I would be your best bet."

Emilie looked over his face, trying to think. She was extremely confused and upset, which supported his claim of her having a concussion. She knew that if it was left untreated, it could cause a decent amount of damage to her mind.

But then again, she'd experienced that before.

The number of times her father had given her a concussion and not bothered to help her afterward was horrific. She was pretty sure she had damage to her mind already, which was why she had some of the issues she had. Letting Avery into her damaged mind… she sucked in a breath and shook her head. "No."

"No," Dolohov repeated, staring at her. "Avery, she's not thinking straight. Fix her head and let's get her out of here."

Avery shot Dolohov a look before he turned back to Emilie. It was difficult to have the conversation she needed to have to accept the healing for multiple reasons, one being that Dolohov was in the room and they couldn't kick him out. Another reason, though, was simply that he knew for a fact that she did _not_ want to have the conversation. He didn't really blame her, either. "Pet-,"

"Avery," she stared at him. His lips thinned, but he nodded shortly.

"Dolohov's finishing up, but you should be fine. Aside from your concussion, you had broken ribs, internal bleeding, and the cut on your stomach. I assume it came from the troll's club, as there were splinters all over it."

"I didn't finish my runes until he hit me," she admitted with a wince. Whatever Dolohov was doing, it hurt. "He hit me _into_ the last one."

"Runes," Thorfinn repeated, finally speaking. "Sweetheart, did you try to fight the troll with curse breaking?"

Emilie looked at him stubbornly. "I know curse breaking better than any other type of magic, Thorfinn. If I'd finished two seconds earlier, I wouldn't be hurt at all."

"And you didn't, did you?" Dolohov said lazily as he twisted his wand one last time. Emilie let out a sharp gasp of pain as he lowered the wand and sat back. "Finished. All that's left is the wrist. They're much more complicated than ribs. _That_ you will have to see Madame Pomfrey for."

Emilie looked to Avery, tense. He stared at her and gave her a short nod, making her relax. He'd take care of it. "What time is it? How long have I been out?"

"It's nearly ten," he answered her. "If you're feeling well enough, you can go to your dorm. I'm sure your friends are worried about you."

Emilie nodded quietly and got to her feet with slight difficulty. She was in a great deal of pain, considering the fact that they didn't have pain potions anywhere. They were, truthfully, woefully unprepared to heal anyone, considering they were third year students. "Thank you. Did anyone else…?"

"No one that will say anything," Dolohov replied. "If they know what's good for them."

"Potter did," Thorfinn warned her. He seemed to have regained his composure, but Avery was sure they'd be speaking as soon as they got time alone. "And the Weasley twins. They were threatened."

"Odd," Dolohov said with a raised eyebrow. "That you'd go to such lengths to keep her out of detention."

Emilie bristled at the comment but otherwise ignored it. "Right. I'll see you at breakfast, then."

The three boys watched as she carefully made her way out of their dorm. She was shaky and looked to be in decent pain, but she would be fine. As soon as the door closed, both Avery and Thorfinn looked at Antonin, who was smirking.

"If you would care to explain before I begin creating various explanations for this mess, you may do so now."

"Rosier told us to protect her," Thorfinn said evenly. "Being our friend, you may become involved in that."

Antonin didn't roll his eyes, but the look he gave them implied that he wanted to. "And her mind?"

"Private matters."

"She is twelve," he reminded them. "Nothing in her mind should startle you in such a way, Rowle."

The two boys stared at one another, neither willing to budge on their own stance. Finally, Avery let out a scoff and got to his feet. "I'm going to get her bloody brace. Keep your mouth shut while I'm gone, Thor, or I'll Obliviate and curse the both of you."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Harry, Fred, and George were returned to the Gryffindor common room by Professor McGonagall, who was rather upset with them. All three of them had quickly decided that they didn't want to call the Slytherins' bluff, so they'd left Emilie out of it.

Their story, which no one seemed to believe, was that they went looking for the troll because they thought they could beat it. They'd managed to keep it on the ground, which earned them back the points that were taken away. Despite that, they were all given detention.

Once they got to the empty common room, they turned to talk. Harry was prepared for the questions he didn't know how to answer, and the twins didn't disappoint.

"Who was that?" George asked.

"Why wasn't she at the feast?" Fred continued.

"And _why_ did three Slytherins threaten to Obliviate us if we mentioned that she was there?" they finished together. Harry let out a slight sigh and glanced around to make sure they were alone.

"Her name is Emilie," he began slowly. "Emilie Nott. She's a Slytherin. She's my friend. I don't know why she wasn't at the feast, just that something's been bugging her lately. She's hardly been talking to anyone and skipping a lot of classes. And I don't really know why they threatened us, but I figure we should probably listen."

"What was she _doing_?" Fred wondered while George nodded.

"Looked like runes magic to me."

"Theo told me they know curse breaking," Harry shrugged. "He showed me some of it. Maybe it was that."

"She's mental, using runes to protect herself against a troll," George commented. "Maybe we should tell McGonagall."

"No," Harry shook his head quickly. "I don't think Emilie would appreciate it if we told McGonagall that_ she_ fought the troll. For whatever reason, she probably doesn't want it out."

"Well, what if they decide to finish her off?" Fred pointed out. "Slytherins-,"

"Aren't all evil," Harry rolled his eyes. "I've seen Em talk to two of them a few times. Rowle, I think. They know each other. Why do you think they were looking for her?"

"I dunno-,"

"But we're definitely checking on her tomorrow."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Ron turned and ran back up the stairs when he heard his brothers approaching. He reached his dorm and looked at Dean, Seamus, and Neville with wide eyes. "It was _Nott_!"

"Which one?" Neville wondered, confused. "What was?"

"Emilie! She fought the troll!" Ron exclaimed. "She was looking for it and fought it with curse breaking! She had to get saved by some upper year Slytherins."

"Damn," Dean shook his head. "You said she was crazy. She seemed normal enough."

"Clearly not," Seamus snorted before grinning. "Nott."

Ron threw a pillow at his friend. "But don't say anything to Harry. We're not supposed to know."

"Why?" Neville wondered with a slight frown. Ron knew he was casual friends with Emilie, but Ron hated her. Every time they got near one another, they argued. There was certainly no love lost between Ron and Emilie.

"We're just not, so stay quiet," he huffed. Neville shrunk back slightly, and Dean was about to tell Ron to take it easy, but Harry entered the room, gathering stares. He made a face at them.

"It's gotten around _already_? We just got back!"

"What?" Seamus asked him hesitantly.

"The troll," Harry said slowly. "Fred, George, and I went after it."

"Right, yeah," Ron nodded. "Yeah, it has. Sorry, mate."

"Great," Harry muttered. He made his way over to his bed and threw himself down on it. "Like I need _more_ attention."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

**November 1st, 1991**

News travelled fast through Hogwarts, if somewhat quietly. Every time the story was told, there was a quiet whisper of "don't let the Slytherins know we know."

That method of spreading news was, surprisingly, effective. Not a single Slytherin found out about the events of the night prior that wasn't supposed to. Unfortunately, the Slytherins not knowing didn't do much when the rest of the school did. Not only did the students know, but the news got past Hogwarts' walls.

It was a Ravenclaw named Michael Corner that let it out. When he hadn't seen Emilie at breakfast, in their two classes of the morning, or lunch, he'd gone to the owlry and written his mother in concern. He was generally a very nice person, and his actions were certainly pure.

That didn't, however, mean they didn't have consequences.

It was at dinner that it happened. Emilie was eating quietly next to her brother and Draco when Snape walked up to them stiffly, eyes on her. He stopped behind her and waited for her to notice. When Daphne's eyes drifted from Emilie to their head of house, Emilie finally turned around.

And immediately, she knew what had happened.

"Professor?" she said softly.

"You will come with me," he informed her. She got to her feet, brushed off Theo's hand when he went to follow, and made her way out of the hall with Snape. They were both silent as they made their way to Dumbledore's office.

It was worse than she'd expected, she quickly realized. Perhaps it had been foolish to assume it would only be the professors, she considered. From their point of view, calling her father would make sense. She'd fought a troll, after all.

"Father," she said quietly with a respectful nod. He didn't look angry. He rarely did when they were in public. He gave her what appeared to be a look of concern, but was actually a threat. She knew that look well, and it was particularly terrifying that day.

"Please sit, Miss Nott," Dumbledore requested. He looked her over sceptically. "You seem well, considering last night's events."

Emilie took a second to calculate her response. She couldn't say her friends had helped her, because they'd get in trouble as well, and she didn't really trust Dolohov. Thorfinn and Avery might, but she didn't. Aside from that, she couldn't say she hadn't been injured. No one would believe her, rightfully so. Besides, Dumbledore had certainly seen the brace on her wrist that Avery had _acquired_ for her. Unfortunately, it wasn't charmed, so it would take longer to heal her.

"Tell us what happened," her father said. His tone was caring and he looked at her calmly as he waited. Unwilling to hesitate longer, she began.

"I wasn't feeling well yesterday, so I missed my last two classes to get some more sleep. I didn't wake up in time for the beginning of the feast, but I still tried to go. I had to use the restroom and while I was in there, the troll came in. Harry and the others saved me and all I had was a bruised wrist."

"And you got the brace where?" Snape asked her. "Madame Pomfrey did not see you."

"Daphne had it because she sprained her wrist before the beginning of the school year and Lady Greengrass insisted she bring it to school just in case. She just lent it to me."

"Well, I suppose we can assume that Harry and the Weasley twins did not go after the troll, but rather this young lady here," Dumbledore told McGonagall. "You may cancel their detentions and award Gryffindor thirty more points, ten for each of them for their bravery."

"And what of my daughter?" Theodore Sr. asked the headmaster.

"Of course, we will have her wrist checked," Dumbledore began. "I don't believe she needs to be punished, since it was merely a case of bad timing. I am curious, however, why you felt the need to keep it secret, Miss Nott."

Emilie very carefully didn't look at her father. "Like I said, sir, I didn't want to get in trouble. I see now that I would not have, and I'm sorry for the confusion I caused."

"If you will escort Miss Nott to the infirmary, Severus," Dumbeldore requested. "I still need to speak with Lord Nott."

Snape strode toward the door, and Emilie didn't hesitate to follow him. Just as she was about to leave, her father spoke.

"We will deal with this at Christmas."

For just a second, she stopped short. She had her back to him, and she sucked in a shaky breath. She knew what his words meant. She knew the threat that lie in them. For a bare second, she wondered if it would've been easier if the troll had just killed her.

Snape glanced back when he realized she wasn't following, and he caught a very specific look on her face. It was one he recognized well, and even one he'd sported for many years. It was fear, but fear of something very specific. "Nott."

Emilie shook herself and, just like that, the look was gone. She was calm and quiet, and looked as if there was absolutely nothing wrong with her. Snape spun on his heel and led her out of the office and all the way to the infirmary silently. When they got there, he pointed her toward a bed and intercepted Poppy on her way out.

"Scan for her history," he instructed. "But do not tell her."

Poppy's face fell. "Another one?" Snape's thinned lips were her only answer. With a sad sigh, she made her way over to the third bed on the right and offered Emilie a bright smile. "Hello, dear. I heard you got in a bit of a fight with a troll."

Emilie offered her a slight smile. "I'm fine, really. I'm sure the brace will help."

"Well, just to be sure," Poppy said. Emilie sat back while Poppy cast the first spell, checking her wrist specifically. The spell worked as a sort of muggle x-ray, and it showed her the break just along the growth plate. She hummed. "I'll certainly have to charm that for you if you want it off anytime soon."

"It's just sprained, isn't it?"

"Actually, it's broken," the mediwitch disagreed as she discreetly cast the spell Snape had asked for. It fed into her office onto a stack of waiting parchment. The spell would read the past ten years of her health history, which happened to be almost her entire life. "Let me see that wrist, if you wouldn't mind."

Emilie moved it over and watched as Madame Pomfrey cast a few spells on the brace. "How long will it take to heal?"

"Around two weeks," Poppy answered. "I'll have you come back and we can check it again. It might give us a bit of trouble since the break is in such a precarious spot."

"Right," she nodded, repressing a sigh. "Thank you."

"Of course, dear. You're free to go."

Emilie got up and hurried away. It was only when the door closed behind her that Poppy made her way quickly to her office with Severus tailing her. When they got inside, both already knew things were bad.

There were three completed rolls of parchment wrapped up with Emilie's name on them. Poppy grimaced and opened the first one, which held the majority of her younger years. She began reading and clenched her jaw tightly the more she read. "You were right, Severus."

His lips thinned, and he grabbed the parchment from her. He skimmed it, and it was more than enough to give him a good look into her life.

"What will you do?" Poppy asked him quietly. She knew more than most how difficult it was to help kids being abused when they were members of the Sacred Twenty-Eight. She still remembered Sirius and Regulus Black. Both boys would come to school injured terribly, and she'd listen to Sirius's excuses and heal him. Regulus never came to her on his own - only when Slughorn had noticed and escorted him there himself, much like Emilie Nott. "What about her brother?"

"It is unlikely that he received similar treatment," Severus answered. "I will handle the situation."

"She cannot go back to that home," Poppy said firmly. She stared the Slytherin Head of House down, daring him to argue. "Go to the sixth paragraph. Clearly, she nearly died. She was six! And since then-,"

"I will handle it," he repeated sharply. "You know as well as I do that it is not so simple."

Poppy crossed her arms over her chest angrily. "If she is _ever_ injured, you will send her to me or I will hex you."

Severus didn't bother replying to that. She already knew he would, mostly because he was already aware she would follow through on the threat because of a similar situation five years prior. Still holding the parchment, he turned on his heel and strode from the office toward his.

She was right. He had to do something. But he was also correct - it would be nearly impossible. He had to be careful. He had to be sneaky. He had to be a perfect Slytherin.

OoOoOoOoOoOo


	5. Fall Out

**Yes, hello, I am posting this because I am Big Anxiety because Ohio is Dumb and gyms are allowed to reopen on May 26th, so I will be going back to work! Great! I absolutely **_**adore**_** that fifteen gyms threatened to sue the state and Ohio decided to reopen just to avoid being sued. **

**I'm done ranting now. Please enjoy this chapter. I have not edited it and I can't even remember its contents. Enjoy! **

**Chapter Five**

_The demons sat there waiting on her porch_

_It was a little dark, so we held a makeshift torch_

**November 5th, 1991**

After a long five days, Theodore _finally_ opened his floo to greet Lord Rookwood. Armando was his oldest friend. They'd met as children many years ago, and had worked together on a great many projects since both becoming Lord of their own Houses. Now, they were going to work on finally getting rid of the biggest thorn in Theodore's side in the past eleven years.

"Straight to work, I presume," Armando said as he followed Theodore through the greeting room to his study. Once they'd sat, elves quickly brought them tea and popped out, leaving them alone. "Tell me what has happened. Augustus has told me the rumors, of course."

"It is true," Theodore scowled darkly. "She has already caused trouble. Not only did she fight that troll, but she lied to her teachers, as well, and she continues to do so. I'm unsure how, but she's been healed from more severe injuries than a broken wrist."

"How severe?"

"I scanned her," he explained. "She had internal bleeding and broken ribs."

"Whoever healed her could have taken her history," Armando hummed, understanding the concern. "Or the bitch told them."

"We must figure out who it was before punishing her," Theodore glared at his tea. "I have no one in Hogwarts to assist."

"I will have Augustus figure it out," Armando assured him. "We shall know by the end of the week."

"And in the meantime, we will plan. The time is soon upon us to finish this headache once and for all, but we must be smart. There has been more resistance than expected to pass the second bill. Until that is passed, we cannot move."

"A little more money and an _Imperius_, and we will have it," Armando waved his concern off. "And our deal is still on?"

Theodore resisted the urge to scowl at his friend. The deal was one he would not typically make. His friend's… _attractions_ were not something he approved of, nor were they something he supported. Despite that, Armando had been a great help in covering up many incidents over the year, and conspiring to kill his daughter was more difficult than first expected. It was made easier with Armando's help, and what the man got in return… well, it was none of his business as long as the end result was the same.

As long as Emilie Nott had been killed, he gave little care as to what happened to her beforehand.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

**November 7th, 1991**

It was a particularly chilly Thursday, and they'd been given the day off as a result of the seven hour meeting the professors were having. It was a quarterly meeting, and every time one came up, the students got the day off.

Many kids were wandering the castle, bored, but Emilie and Harry had found their way outside toward a large tree in a courtyard by the bridge to the grounds. They'd been otherwise abandoned by everyone, except for Theo, who had gotten detention from a fifth-year Gryffindor prefect whose family wasn't particularly fond of theirs. It was something that Harry just didn't understand.

"So you're saying that because Phillips doesn't like your dad-,"

"I'm sure he'd have given me one, too, if I'd been there," Emilie sighed. "It's politics. Our father isn't a great person, so a lot of people rightfully hate him."

"But that doesn't give them a right to take it out on you!" Harry argued, upset. "You're just _kids_."

Emilie grimaced. "We're used to it. Plus, you're just a kid and everyone either loves you or hates you for supposedly killing the Dark Lord."

"But I don't think I did anything," Harry said with a frown. When she just nodded, his mouth opened into an 'o' shape. He paused for a second before he closed it again and looked at her. "Were my parents involved in politics?"

"Um, yeah," she confirmed, casting a warming charm over them as they settled down against the tree. "Yeah, they were. Your grandparents led the grey area for a long time before grey wasn't much of an option anymore. Everything else was so radical that the grey area had to pick - light or dark. Your grandparents and parents picked light, and that's basically where we stopped learning about your family for the most part. I could probably tell you a lot about your grandmother's family, though. Father loved them."

"The Blacks truly are an example to us all."

Both kids jumped at the voice. When they turned, they saw Rookwood leaning against a tree nearby, watching them. Emilie eyed him uncomfortably. He was another that she'd known for many years. After more than one incident with her father, she'd been sent to the Rookwood's to be healed while her father and Augustus's took care of whatever mess was left behind. Augustus had always left her feeling extremely uncomfortable, and he'd seemed to have an unfortunate interest in her. He was the same age as her, though a grade above. It didn't leave her feeling any better about the situation. The Rookwood family was notorious for dark magic, nearly as much so as the Black family or the Malfoys. There was no doubt in her mind that he knew of at least five different ways to torture and kill her already.

"Rookwood," she greeted politely. It was the third time in the past two days that he'd shown up where she was, and she was starting to get the feeling that he was up to something.

"Are you going to introduce us?" he raised an eyebrow. She tried her best not to make a face at him and looked to Harry.

"Harry Potter, Augustus Rookwood."

"Hullo," Harry greeted. "Who are the Blacks?"

"One of the most exemplary families in our world," Augustus answered him easily. "A group of people who knew how to lead our world back to the old ways."

Emilie couldn't resist her eye roll this time. "Blood purity isn't the old ways, Augustus. That's a new age idea. The old ways were living with and accepting muggles, muggleborns, and half bloods. The Blacks were bigots. It's that simple."

"Wait, my grandmother was a bigot?" Harry asked, horrified. Augustus and Emilie shook their heads together.

"No."

"Dorea Potter was loved by her father," Augustus told him. "It was that weakness that allowed her to marry Charlus Potter. Any other Black would have been disowned."

"Like Alphard Black," Emilie agreed. "He wasn't quiet about his views, and he protected Sirius Black when he defied his family. Both of them were, eventually, disowned."

"It is fortunate that Sirius came to his senses in the end," Augustus commented. Emilie shot him a glare.

"Whatever happened, he was coerced, Augustus, and you know that as well as I do," she snapped at him, irritated that he'd said something so horrible in front of Harry, though Harry didn't even know who Sirius was. "Everyone knows that - they're just content letting him rot in Azkaban. Is there a _reason_ you're bothering us? I'm not particularly in the mood to argue your bigotry for the umpteenth time."

"I heard of the events with the troll," he told her calmly. "And wished to ensure your health and safety."

"I'm fine," she eyed him suspiciously. "I don't know what information your father wants from me this time, but you're not getting it."

Augustus smirked at her and pushed off the tree, walking closer. "That fire…. Will be so difficult to tame. I will enjoy the challenge."

Emilie's eyes flashed angrily. "Get away from me. Go tell Lord Rookwood that I wouldn't give you what you want and be done with it."

"Nott," he said lowly. He was completely ignoring Harry, who was looking between them in concern, his hand slipping down to his wand just in case. Augustus knelt down in front of Emilie and reached out to stroke her hair. She tensed, her jaw clenching. "You will give me what I want."

"Augustus-,"

He got to his feet again and stepped back. "Make this as difficult as you wish. I promise you I will enjoy it."

Emilie didn't reply as he turned and left. The threat he'd given her hit somewhere deep inside of her. She wasn't sure what the threat was, exactly, but it gave her the same feeling that she got around Lord Rookwood. Like father like son, apparently.

"Em, are you okay?" Harry asked, eyes wide as he stared at her. "We should tell Professor McGonagall. He just threatened you, didn't he?"

"He did," she confirmed quietly. "But we can't."

"_What_?"

"Harry, it's- we can't," she shook her head, frustrated. There were so many reasons she couldn't tell a teacher, the largest of which being that she was practically dead already for the troll incident. Accusing her father's best friend's son of threatening her… it wouldn't go over well. "He won't touch me."

"I dunno, it really seemed like he was gonna. You looked… scared," he told her in concern. His words reminded her to at least _appear_ calm. Quickly, her fear was wiped from her face and replaced with a small smile.

"Augustus has to obey the rules of our world just as much as I do," she tried. "If he attacked another member of an Ancient and Noble family, he'd only damage his future and the future of his House. I've known him for as long as I can remember and I can confidently say he wouldn't do that."

"But he didn't seem… stable," he argued. "Like Draco but _evil_."

Emilie made a face at him. "Please. Draco's a puppy compared to Augustus."

"Proving my point!"

"But Augustus is smart," she insisted. "He's smart, and so am I. Nothing will happen."

Harry eyed her skeptically. "What did he want?"

She hesitated. That was something she didn't have an answer to. Clearly, it had to do with the troll, but there was something more. Something her father must've picked up on with the situation, but what? She'd been completely healed, aside from the wrist. Her story was solid. So if it wasn't her father, what was it? Why had Augustus brought up the troll? It was _possible_ that he'd just been trying to show concern, trick her into relaxing for a different conversation. But if that were the case, she assumed he'd have found her on her own. He would've waited until Harry left. "He won't hurt me."

Harry clearly didn't believe her. She figured that was because she didn't believe herself. Despite that, he hesitantly changed the conversation, sensing she was done with the topic, and they moved on for the time being.

Because he was _definitely_ going to ask about Rookwood again… even if it wasn't Emilie he asked, he'd be getting more information. Someone had just threatened his friend, after all. There was no way they'd be getting away with that.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

**November 11th, 1991**

"I'm telling you it's stupid, not that you shouldn't do it," Draco said as he, Theo, and Daphne strolled toward Slytherin together. Blaise was currently with Emilie, helping her with their most recent potion. It was her toughest class, and out of all of her friends, Blaise was the best. He also adored her, so he was more than willing to help her out. Daphne had joked more than once that the first to date in their group would be the two of them. Neither Blaise nor Emilie had bothered to reply.

"Says the kid who still thinks muggleborns aren't ten times more powerful than inbred purebloods," Daphne muttered, annoyed. "You know, you're lucky your mother wasn't forced to marry Regulus Black or something. Or even worse, Pollux. Didn't his wife die two years before your mum was born?"

"Daph," Theo sighed. He plucked Draco's wand from him before he could hex their friend. "Draco, it's not a big deal if she wants to help younger, muggleborn kids. Can you please just get your head out of your ass long enough to support your friends for once? She's trying to do a good thing."

"Someone's in a mood," Draco muttered, dropping the topic. Daphne had told them she'd been working with Lord Greengrass to set up a sort of two-week orientation for muggleborn and half-blood kids. "What's wrong with you, away from Emilie too long?"

Theo's lips thinned. "Something's wrong with her and she isn't telling me what. She won't even tell me the truth about what happened with the troll."

"Why don't we go check on her?" Daphne suggested gently. They were near the potions room at that point, so Daphne and Draco took the turn without even letting Theo agree. When they stepped into the room, however, Blaise was nowhere in sight. Instead, Emilie was backing into a corner with Rookwood looming over her. "Rookwood, what the hell?"

He stopped where he was, though he still stared at Emilie. She was staring back at him with what seemed to be anger in her eyes. Without a word, the second year Slytherin turned and stormed out of the room, nearly knocking into Daphne on his way out. It was only when he'd slammed the door behind him that Emilie let out the breath she was holding and started shaking lightly.

Theo was the first to reach her, and he wrapped her up in a tight hug. "What was he _doing_, Em?"

"Where did Blaise go? We left you two here less than an hour ago," Draco commented with a frown.

"He went to find Snape," Emilie answered quietly. "Because someone had sabotaged our potion, and it was going to explode like Finnigan's water if we removed the stasis charm."

"And what did Rookwood _want_?" Theo pressed. He tried not to get frustrated. He could feel her fear radiating through their twin bond, but at the same time, she was so closed off that he already knew she wouldn't answer. "Emilie, please."

She shook her head and pulled away from him, swiping at her eyes. "Thank you guys. I have something I need to do now."

"What?" Blaise asked, entering the room. He stopped short at the sight of everyone tense, and the tears Emilie had missed on her cheeks. "What the hell-,"

"I'll see you in the common room in a little bit," she told them before rushing from the room. No one moved to follow her, and it was only when she'd left the dungeons and then the castle altogether that she left out a ragged breath.

It had been days since he'd come up to her and Harry, and he'd done the same multiple times since then with increasing frustration on his part. That day, he'd seemed to hit his breaking point. She shivered as she remembered… but then again, it just as well could've been from the cold, as she wore no coat and only a thin, long sleeved shirt, her skirt, and her tights.

Reaching the Quidditch pitch unaccosted, she slipped into the bleachers to wait. It was already seven p.m., meaning that Slytherin practice was over. The team seemed to be finishing up whatever drill they were doing, and she was as patient as possible. It was seven-fifteen before the team had showered and were free to do whatever they wanted.

Emilie felt something heavy drop over her shoulders, followed quickly by a bit of magic she hadn't thought to cast. The cloak was adjusted for her until it covered her - though it did that quite easily, being too large for her. She looked up to find two irritated Slytherins staring down at her, waiting. Willing herself to sound as calm as possible, she took in a breath. "There's a problem."

"Clearly," Avery said, eyeing her with narrowed eyes. "You've lost your bloody mind."

"I mean it," she insisted quietly. "I tried to handle it myself, it's… it's important, and this isn't like the old, stupid things."

Thorfinn looked her over carefully. She was shivering madly, though less now that she had his cloak on, as well as the warming charm Avery had cast. Aside from that, she had tear tracks down her cheeks, and was more tense than he'd seen her in awhile, even before she'd been Sorted. "What happened, sweetheart?"

"It started last week," she said, her voice nearly a whisper. Thorfinn sat down backwards on the row in front of her so that they were almost eye level, and Avery stepped behind her and then down to sit on her right. "Augustus ran into me a few times, but he's always… I don't know. He's liked to bother me since we met. But the third time, he asked me about the troll and threatened me. He kept running into me after that when I was alone, and then today- today he…." she shook her head and did her best to pull herself together. She hadn't spoken in detail to either of them about what Augustus had told her. Hell, she hadn't even approached the topic with Thorfinn since he found out.

"Pet," Avery said, waiting. She straightened and nodded, preparing herself.

"He told me, in extreme detail, everything my father has ever done to hurt me," she admitted. "As well as something he hasn't done yet. He told me that if I didn't give him the information he wanted, my father would do that to me. I told him Uncle Evan wouldn't let him, and he was starting to tell me what _he_ would do to me when Theo and our friends came in."

The boys exchanged a look.

"What did he want from you?" Thorfinn asked softly. She looked between them again, her eyes wide.

"He told me that they knew I'd been hurt more than just my wrist. He wanted to know who healed me. I think- I think they might think you took my history, or I told you, or-,"

"We understand," Thorfinn cut her off. Both boys were tense now.

"Don't go anywhere alone, pet," Avery instructed. "Stay with as many people as possible. Stay in your dorm if you have to."

"It's worse than I thought," she muttered. "If Father knows I was hurt more- if he thinks someone else knows… I'll be dead by Christmas."

Even being third-year Slytherins, being born and raised to _be_ Slytherins, Thorfinn and Avery both flinched at the mere idea, not to mention the blunt words and the way she clearly believed them.

"There are many willing to keep you safe if we must," Avery reminded her. "We will make Evan aware of this and watch you when we can. Stay with your brother. Be careful."

Emilie looked between them nervously. "What about you? He'll kill you if he even thinks that you know."

"We can take care of ourselves," Thorfinn assured her. "We will take you back to the common room and wait with you until you find Greengrass."

Emilie nodded a little. She was still afraid, but mostly for them. She knew what would happen to her and she had for a long time. Now, however, they were involved. It was the last thing she wanted.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

**November 17th, 1991**

Augustus scowled as he listened to his father. They were only speaking in person because there had been a Wizengamot meeting that day and it was a big one. The issue was, Augustus hadn't yet been able to deliver what he'd been ordered to deliver. That meant that he was getting a thorough chewing out.

"I don't _care_ what you have to do," Lord Rookwood snapped at his son. "Get the information. Do not kill her. Aside from that, do whatever you'd like."

"Yes, Father," he agreed, tense. Nott being so _difficult_ had, in his father's eyes, diminished his abilities. That was certainly a problem, and it was one that he'd just been given permission to resolve.

He was dismissed soon after, with three more warnings about what would happen to him should he not get Nott to talk.

Once back in Hogwarts, he wasted no time. He'd managed to, with only a little difficulty, figure out Emilie's schedule, as well as those closest to her. There was only one hour one day a week that she would be alone, and it would be in the library.

Slipping silently through the halls, Augustus prepared himself. He had his wand in his hand already, and as soon as he found the library, he made his way carefully through it. He knew she'd taken to hiding in a secluded area to get away from him, and that worked just fine for him.

The small area she was in was in the muggle studies section that was nearly always empty. The books were never really touched, and the couch and table hidden between the shelves were usually empty.

Except for that day.

She had her back to him when he entered. He could see her wand sitting on the table in front of her, and she had a book in her lap to read. It was one he recognized - Hogwarts: A History. He knew she read that when she was nervous. He knew quite a bit about her, truly. Perhaps more than she was aware.

Flicking his wand with a whisper, he summoned her wand. Just as he'd expected, she didn't even notice, far too engrossed in the book she was reading. He pocketed the wand and stepped closer, pointing his own this time at her. He cast a silencing charm, which was another one she didn't notice, as she wasn't making any noise yet.

And then, Augustus strolled around the couch and stood in front of her. That, she did notice. Her eyes flicked up at him and she stiffened at the sight. Her mouth opened, and it looked like she was trying to say his name when she realized she couldn't speak.

Augustus saw panic fill her, and it pleased him.

"Tonight's the night, Nott," he whispered, sitting on the table in front of her. "You're going to give me what I want."

Emilie's eyes darted around, taking in the situation. There was no one else around. It was dark, and they were alone. She was silenced. Truthfully, he had found her at the perfect time. Despite how futile the attempt was, she shot to her feet to run.

Augustus grabbed her arm tightly within his hand and threw her back onto the couch roughly. "You're not going anywhere until I say we're done. Got it?"

The glare she gave him was her only answer.

"Now," he nodded firmly, looking her over. "We've known one another for quite a while, Emilie. We've been close since before you got your mother killed, hm?" The fury in her eyes grew exponentially, and it took a bit of restraint to keep from smirking at her. "Don't pretend it wasn't your fault, _Mianach_."

Emilie tensed. It had been a long time since anyone had spoken Irish around her, he knew. He knew that particularly because her mother had been Irish. Or rather, the Rosier family had lived there the majority of their lives, and Maria had desperately wanted to share that with her children.

It was when Emilie and Theo had their phase of speaking only in Irish when Augustus had been ordered to also learn the language, but to keep it from the younger kids. Now, it was more useful to startle her with than to keep a secret. Besides, his father had said to do anything.

"You may as well accept it," he continued, pleased. "It has been six years. A mother should not be forced to sacrifice her life for her disobedient daughter. If you'd just done what you were told, if you were not such a _problem_, she would be alive. And now you've put others in danger, hm? Who was it that saved you from the troll, Emilie? Do you wish them the same fate as your mother?"

Augustus summoned parchment and a quill and handed them over to her. "Write their names, and I will do nothing more."

Emilie took the parchment and, staring at him, crumpled it up into a ball and threw it across the room. Something flickered in him, and suddenly, he was looking at her with a cruel smile.

"I'm sure you're aware that there was a Wizengamot meeting today," he said, ignoring the parchment she'd thrown. "And what was voted on. How do you think that went, _Mianach_?" She was stiff. She knew what he was referencing, he was certain. Good. "It took a lot of effort, as I've been made aware. A lot of money and spellwork went into getting the law passed. But… it was passed, Emilie. We both know what that means, don't we? And you don't want to make things worse for yourself, do you? You may as well tell me what I want to know, and I'll leave you alone until Christmas."

Emilie, with all the fury and fear inside of her, spit on him.

And that was more than enough to bring out his dangerous temper.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

He wasn't really sure what her name was, if he were being honest. She was a Ravenclaw girl, a fourth year, and she had light brown hair. Aside from that, his focus was on finding the best, secluded and abandoned area in the library.

Usually, that would take him to the Quadpot history area, of which there was an oddly large amount of books. The issue with that was, there was already a couple there, pretending they hadn't been about to begin removing clothes.

So he led the girl to a different section, one he'd never been to. By the state of the dust-covered books, it seemed no one really went there. Except, there was a light a few rows down. A light that meant someone _was_ there. So with an irritated sigh, he went to lead the Ravenclaw away again.

He only stopped when he heard a voice.

"We've known one another for quite a while, Emilie. We've been close since before you got your mother killed, hm? Don't pretend it wasn't your fault, _Mianach_."

He frowned. He knew who was speaking and who was being spoken to. There was only one Emilie in the school whose mother had died that he knew of. Aside from that, it was no secret that Lord Nott and Lord Rookwood were close friends.

"Antonin, come on," the girl hissed in his ear. He put a hand up, earning himself a glare from her. "If we're not going to go, I'm going back to see Sydney."

"Go ahead," he whispered, disinterested. He'd been trying to figure out what it was about Nott that had his friends so interested, and he had a feeling he was getting a closer look.

"If you'd just done what you were told, if you were not such a _problem_, she would be alive. And now you've put others in danger, hm? Who was it that saved you from the troll, Emilie? Do you wish them the same fate as your mother?"

It occurred to Antonin that Emilie wasn't replying at all. He'd said multiple things that could and likely would gain some sort of angry reply, but she was silent. He snuck a couple rows closer and was able to peek through the books, where he managed to spot them. Emilie was sitting on a couch, looking sick. Rookwood was sitting on the table in front of her with a smirk on his face.

"I'm sure you're aware that there was a Wizengamot meeting today, and what was voted on. How do you think that went, _Mianach_?" he paused, looking for something in her as she stiffened. Whatever was happening, she knew what it was. "It took a lot of effort, as I've been made aware. A lot of money and spellwork went into getting the law passed. But… it was passed, Emilie. We both know what that means, don't we? And you don't want to make things worse for yourself, do you? You may as well tell me what I want to know, and I'll leave you alone until Christmas."

The small Slytherin, acting more like a Gryffindor, spit on him.

Augustus's wand was pulled out, and he hit her with a curse immediately that threw her back over the couch and onto the floor. He shot to his feet and hit her with something else that helped Antonin understand she was silenced.

"_Crucio_!"

The silent screaming allowed him to continue as she writhed in pain on the floor. The longer it was held, the more Augustus seemed to enjoy it.

"Fuck," Antonin whispered, reaching for his wand. If he let the kid die, his friends would never forgive him. Cursing her silently the entire time, he carefully stunned Augustus from where he stood. The boy dropped to the ground hard, and Antonin shot out of the books. Emilie was awake somehow, but he couldn't tell how much she could comprehend.

He picked her up and, careful not to be seen, snuck out of the library. Being only two floors above the dungeons and three from the infirmary, he used the secret passages he and his friends had found and snuck her down there.

It wasn't that hard to sneak into the common room, but he had a harder time getting through there unseen. It took him over five minutes of ducking away from random students before he got her back to his dorm and dropped her on the bed.

He turned to put up silencing wards on the dorm and, once he was confident in them, removed the charm from her.

She wasn't making much noise, aside from whimpering in pain. She was shaking violently, and as Antonin stared at her, he had no idea what to do with her. He wasn't sure why his friends felt so responsible for her, nor why he had allowed himself to take on that responsibility as well.

The first thing he did was place a numbing charm on her, After that, he put the only pain relief spell he knew on as well. It didn't seem to help much, but it was all he knew. With that done, he grabbed a chair and set it by the side of the bed and sat back to wait.

His mind drifted to what was said. Augustus wanted to know who had helped her after the troll, he understood that, but why? Why did it matter? Why would they die? He'd said 'do you wish them the same fate as your mother?' and it made no sense.

Antonin knew about the vote at the day's meeting. He wasn't aware it had been passed, but he knew they were finally voting to decide the age of Lords. According to Rookwood, the age had been lowered to twelve.

He had no clue what was going on, but he got the feeling Nott was involved in something much more serious than a twelve-year-old should be.

The door to the dorm opened, and he glanced back as his friends stepped in together. They both stopped, and Thorfinn cut off mid-sentence to stare at them.

"What the _hell_-,"

"What happened to her?"

"She's shaking-,"

"Cruciatus," Antonin said calmly. "In the library, fifteen minutes ago. It was held for less than three minutes."

His friends, much to his surprise, exchanged a grim glance. As if they _expected_ it, or at the very least knew why it had happened. Antonin's interest piqued. It wasn't often something in Hogwarts had him curious outside of his studies.

"We can't help her," Thorfinn said, his brow furrowed. "We also cannot bring her to Pomfrey."

Avery grimaced. "We were told if we had to-,"

"It would essentially be kidnapping the only daughter of an Ancient and Noble-,"

"You know as well as I do that he wouldn't-,"

"He _would_ if he thought we were putting him in danger-,"

"It doesn't very well matter!" Avery snapped, cutting off Thorfinn. "We can't heal her, and she needs to be healed! She is _twelve_ and she's been tortured!"

"_By another twelve-year-old_!" Thorfinn shot back. "It may not have been that bad."

"Look at her!" Avery waved at Emilie. "Clearly, it was!"

Thorfinn glared at Avery, his arms crossed over his chest. "How the hell do you plan to sneak her out of the bloody castle?"

"I can help with that," Antonin cut in. He was mostly amused with the tension between them and while he didn't mind letting that persist, he was also well read in torture. The first hour was the most crucial, and Nott would be left with some rather unfortunate long-term issues if they didn't get her help.

There was, however, only one spell he knew of to have her acting normally enough they could get her out of the castle. He was aware that they were both likely to say no to the use of it, but he may as well suggest it.

"How the _hell_-,"

"Imperius her," he said simply. They both looked at him like he'd lost his mind, which was better than the yelling he'd expected. "If you're so concerned about her consent, one of you go into her mind and get it from her. If you want to leave her to turn into a bloody vegetable, keep arguing."

"No way in _hell_," Thorfinn began. Avery, however, cut him off.

"I'll do it."

"Again," Thorfinn stared at him. "_No way in hell_."

"I've been in her mind before," Avery explained shortly. "To communicate. I will do it again."

"You've lost your fucking mind," Thorfinn announced. "Why would you have been in her mind? Why would she ever let anyone Imperius her? The kid has common sense, Frederick!"

Avery tensed at the use of his first name, but resisted the urge to argue about it. There were more important matters to handle first. "Let me try. She says no, we'll figure something else out."

Thorfinn threw his arms up, but he didn't keep arguing. Instead, he stepped back from the bed and allowed Avery to get closer, and he did. He took up the chair Antonin had been in and looked over her shaking form. She'd been conscious when they walked in, but at some point, had passed out.

Carefully, Avery placed his fingers over her temples. They were warm, like the rest of her. Fever was a common side effect of the Cruciatus, and it often contributed to killing the victim. Focusing quietly, he made contact with her mind.

He was plunged into her mind, where he found her hiding. "_Pet._"

"_Avery_," she replied calmly.

"_Do you know what happened?_"

She didn't answer him for a moment, and when she did, it was with irritation. "_Augustus lost his mind. He tortured me._"

"_Yes. You're unconscious in our dorm, but we need to get you out of the castle. The only solution we've come up with is a very bad one._"

"_Just wait for me to wake up_," she requested.

"_You need help, pet. We have to get you that help. Our best idea is using the Imperius._"

Emilie didn't reply for a minute as she considered him. "_You could do anything._"

"_Thor is against this as well. I will do it, and you can be assured that he will protect your honor._"

The thought helped her relax slightly, but not completely. "_I don't know. Are you sure I won't be okay otherwise?_"

Avery grimaced even though she couldn't see him. "_Certain._"

There was a short pause. "_I'm trusting you more than I trust almost anyone._"

"_Just relax, pet._"

He slipped from her mind and gave a short nod to his friends, who were staring at him . "She will rely on you, Thor, to protect her, but she has agreed."

"Smart little witch," Thorfinn muttered.

The three of them got ready. It took only a couple minutes and included grabbing their wands, cloaks, and an extra cloak to keep her warm. Once they were prepared, Avery raised his wand and pointed it at Emilie. With slight hesitation, he cast.

"_Imperio_!"

OoOoOoOoOoOo

**A/N:**

**Irish: **_**Mianach**_**\- mine. This will, likely, hopefully, be something Augustus continues to call her. A way to taunt her, to scare her… something along those lines. If you can't tell, he's sort of been forced to be as obsessed with her as their parents are. Rookwood will be to Emilie as Dolohov is to Mia or Adelaide or Cassiopeia, for anyone that's read my other fics.**


	6. Let Me Go

**Chapter Six**

_This is gospel for the fallen ones_

_Locked away in permanent slumber_

**November 17th, 1991**

Evan Rosier had returned from the Ministry less than thirty minutes ago, and he was already considering going to bed.

It had been a rather rough day. He'd spent a great deal of money and effort trying to get a very dangerous bill blocked, but it seemed his brother-in-law and the Rookwood family had both more money and more power. Or at the very least, they had more money and were rather well practiced in a certain, very illegal spell.

For four hours after the Wizengamot session, he'd stayed in his office at the Ministry - in the DOM - and tried to come up with a plan. It had been a wasted four hours in the end, and he'd ended up coming home and drinking a third of a bottle of firewhiskey.

Just when he turned off the light in his sitting room and went to head to his living room, there was a knock on the door. Cursing, he strode over and threw it open, prepared to terrify whoever dared to bother him into leaving quickly.

The door banged open, and he stopped short. Standing there waiting were two familiar teenage boys, one more that he knew to be the Dolohov heir, and… his niece. The very niece whose life he'd been trying his very best to save.

And she was hurt. Badly.

Before he could even tell them to get inside, Rowle brushed past him with her in his arms. Avery and Dolohov followed, and Rowle dropped her carefully onto the couch. By the time she was lying down there, Evan had recovered and hurried over. As he waved his wand over her, he spoke. "Explain."

"I found Rookwood in the library, taunting her," Dolohov said calmly. "He cursed her, and then tortured her."

"What curse?"

"Some sort of impact curse," he hummed. "Not one I recognized. It threw her over the couch and onto the floor."

"He's been bothering her since the troll incident," Avery explained. "Until today, he hasn't touched her."

Evan grimaced as he began casting healing charms. They were rough on kids, and it wasn't likely he could heal everything, but he could help. "What were you doing near her, Dolohov?"

"I was exploring the library," the boy said with a slight smirk. "When I came upon them."

"You found her because of that challenge?" Thorfinn asked, appalled.

"Would you rather I not find her at all and he have killed her?" Dolohov shot back. "She spit on him, Rowle. He was not stopping."

"Merlin's sake," Avery muttered, horrified. Emilie's temper often got in the way of her instincts, which were good most other times.

Evan stared down at his niece, watching her shift slightly. He'd numbed the pain and healed as much of the muscle damage as possible, and he watched her slowly wake up. Her head was in his lap by then, and she took a moment to blink her eyes open. Emilie jumped slightly when she realized she was awake, wincing away from Evan until she sat straight up. He put out his hands and touched her arms lightly. "Em. You're with me."

Emilie stilled, her eyes wide as she stared at him. She blinked a few times, confused. "Uncle Evan?"

"There we are," he smiled fondly. "You've had an eventful few weeks, hm?"

"Where's Theo?" she asked him quietly. "Is he- what happened?"

"Amnesia is common," Evan told her, rubbing her arm comfortingly. "What's the last thing you remember?"

She furrowed her brow, trying to remember. "I was… in the library? I don't know. I was reading, and then… I don't know."

"From what I've heard, it sounds like Augustus has been bothering you recently," he tried. Her frown deepened for a moment before her eyes widened.

"Uncle Evan, he said- the bill!"

Evan did his best not to tense at the reminder. "I'm aware. I've been working on it all day, Avi."

She sighed at the use of the old nickname. Theo had one as well - Daav. She had no clue where he'd found them, only that hers meant "air" and his meant "fire". She wasn't even sure why he'd given them the nicknames to begin with, but that he used it anytime he wanted to comfort them or get their attention. "Christmas-,"

"We will handle it," he assured her. "Do you remember now?"

Emilie nodded quietly. "He can't find out who helped me, Uncle Evan. If he does…"

"I can pursue this again," he told her carefully. He didn't know Dolohov well, and neither did she. He wasn't even sure how much she believed Rowle and Avery knew. He'd recently found out Rowle had stumbled upon some rather sensitive memories, but not if anything else had been revealed. "But we can discuss this privately. For now, I need you three to go back to Hogwarts and let Theo know she's with me. In the morning, I'll need you to sneak her back into the castle."

"Lord Rosier, with all due respect, how do you expect us to sneak a twelve-year-old back into the castle when everyone is awake?" Dolohov asked, surprised. Evan raised an eyebrow at him.

"Carefully."

"Come on," Rowle elbowed Dolohov. He offered a smile to Emilie. "Don't get in more trouble without us, sweetheart."

"I'll see you in the morning," she replied quietly. The three boys made their way out, leaving her alone with her uncle. Once they were gone and the door was locked, she let out a shaky breath and tossed herself into his arms, hugging him tightly. "I don't know what to do."

Evan rubbed her back and felt his heart break once more. Emilie's life so far had been filled with tragedy, and her life was in danger now more than ever. He knew Maria had always expected him to protect her children if she couldn't, and it was getting increasingly harder. "I have a few plans if it truly gets that bad, Avi."

She shook her head but otherwise stayed where she was. "It'll be too late. You can't even get into the Manor. I'll go home for Christmas and…" she trailed off as she felt tears build up in her eyes. "Father will… What'll happen to Theo when I'm gone?"

Evan vaguely acknowledged that it was the first time she'd ever truly discussed the matter with him. He had tried, in the past, to get her to talk about it. He'd even tried to get her to talk about it with Amelia Bones, but there had been some sort of compulsion charm that hurt her every time. He hadn't realized it had worn off because, for her safety, they'd stopped trying. "I will keep you safe, Emilie. Theo will be fine. I promise you, you will be okay."

Emilie definitely didn't believe him, and he didn't really blame her. She'd been attacked by her father since she was a small child just for existing, and so far, Evan hadn't been able to get her away from the old man. His last attempt had left him with a restraining order and multiple threats from Theodore.

"You'll sleep here tonight," he told her. "I'll make you those brownies you like, and we can read until you fall asleep, okay?"

She nodded quietly. "What about Augustus?"

"You'll have to be very careful," he warned. "He may still want whatever he was looking for. Stick to your dorm and your friends and Theo. Find someone to be around if they're not available."

Emilie nodded silently, and Evan took that as his cue to get started. The first thing he did was summon a blanket for her, which he covered her with. When that was done, he got to his feet and made his way to the kitchen.

His long day was going to be finished by a long night. After he got Emilie to sleep - which he predicted would take quite a while - he would need to get working on a new emergency plan, because Emilie was right. At the moment, he had no way to help her at Christmas.

And there was no way he was letting her go back to Nott Manor without the assurance that he would help her, should she need it.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Augustus's head turned to the side with the backhanded slap he was given. Armando was glaring down at him furiously as his hand twitched for his wand. He didn't grab it, however. He was never willing to curse Augustus.

"_Imbecile_!" He snapped at his son.

"Father-,"

"No!" Armando shouted, silencing the teenager. "Do you know what you've done?"

"She probably just went to her dorm," he tried. Armando scoffed nastily.

"The Cruciatus is impossible to heal from alone. She could not escape you alone. Whoever found you knows far more than is safe. They may not have turned you in yet, but do not be so foolish as to assume they never will."

"This is a lot of fuss for someone that's going to die before new year," Augustus shot back. "Can't you just get this information when she comes home for break?"

Armando glared at Augustus darkly. "Go nowhere near her, but watch her. Watch the people around her."

"Yes, Father," Augustus bowed his head. It would be tough to do for the simple fact that he'd already had to sabotage her potion to get her alone the last time. Finding her alone in the library was simple luck that he doubted he'd run into again. Still, there was no choice.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

**December 11th, 1991**

Amelia Bones had a long day ahead of her. In between her interviews, meetings, and paperwork, there would be a review of the laws going up for a vote in that month's Wizengamot meeting. It was something they tried to do every month to avoid time wasters or even cursed bills. Her already busy day was the reason she came into the office at seven in the morning instead of nine that day.

All of that, however, was swiftly delayed when she entered her office to find Evan Rosier already in there, pacing anxiously. With a sigh, she shook her head and entered. "Lord Rosier."

"Amelia," he replied.

When she got to her desk, she took a moment to look him over closely. He looked like shit. His hair was a mess, and his forehead was pinched in stress. He had dark circles under his eyes that spoke of little sleep over recent weeks. His robes were wrinkled as if they'd been slept in, and she could've sworn she saw a stain on them. Aside from that, the look on his face told her two things: what he was there for and that he had no options left. "How can I help you?" she asked as she sat and waved for him to as well. He ignored her and continued pacing.

"Amelia, there's nothing left," he told her. "I know you can't investigate the same thing twice, but she needs _help_."

Amelia let out a sigh and rubbed at her forehead tiredly. "Evan, we have tried. Until there's more proof of abuse, I cannot do anything."

Evan searched her eyes. "Amelia, if this were Susan…" he trailed off. Her lips thinned, but she gave a short nod.

"Have you discussed it with her again?"

Evan nodded once. "The compulsion must have worn off. She asked me what will happen to Theo when she's gone."

The witch straightened slightly. That was something. It was the something that they'd been waiting for over the past six years. "Will you share the memory?"

Evan reached in his pocket and pulled out a vial filled with a silvery, wispy magic inside. He handed it over and watched as Amelia took it over to her pensieve. It was only a couple of minutes long, and when she was finished watching it, she turned around to look at him, determined once more.

"I need all the information you have. Why would she speak about it now?"

Evan let out a breath of relief and started delving into the situation. It took him a while to explain the entirety of it to her, and by the time he'd finished, an hour had passed and she felt the same sick worry for the girl as Evan.

"I do not believe it wise to speak with any of the children," she told him. "We know Nott is a paranoid man. He will have them watched, and we may tip him off and cause him to change his plans. As of right now, from what you can tell, his plan is to do it over Christmas break?"

"Yes. Emilie said Augustus mentioned the break."

"Well," she glanced at her planner with a sigh. "We should get started, then. Break begins in a little over a week."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

**December 21st, 1991**

The train left early that morning, and everyone had certainly noticed that the twins were secluding themselves. Theo and Emilie had been silent to all but one another the entire day and for half of the train ride until Blaise finally let out a dramatic sigh and left to find their compartment. It was at the other end of the train, and he grumbled as he entered it. "Merlin's sake, could you have gone further away?"

Theo shot a glare at his friend and hissed at him quietly, "Be quiet!"

Blaise winced and shut the door as he entered and shut the door behind him softly. Emilie was asleep with her head in her brother's lap. He sat across from the twins and eyed them curiously. "Just wondering if you'd like to come to the funeral we're holding for the both of you."

Theo's eyes shot to Blaise's. "_What_?"

Blaise frowned. "Joke. It's a joke, Nott. You two are acting like you're about to die. What the hell is wrong with you?"

Theo sighed and looked back down at Emilie. "It's nothing."

"Nothing," Blaise scoffed. "Mate, learn to lie. I'm offended."

"It's just- we can't really talk about it," Theo said finally. Blaise looked between the two of them with a slight frown.

"There's something you guys have always kept from us, isn't there? We've been friends since we were six and you still think you need to lie to us. Why? What is it?"

Theo didn't answer him for a while. Blaise almost thought he was being ignored when his friend finally replied. "I'll see you guys after Christmas."

"Right," Blaise sighed. He got to his feet and walked out of the compartment, shooting Theo and Emilie one last concerned glance as he shut the door behind him.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

When they finally got off the train, it was to the absolute chaos of King's Cross. There were parents all over the station packed together as they waited for their kids, and kids were rushing to find their parents, shoving each other as they did so.

While they wanted to drag their feet in finding their father, Theo and Emilie knew better. They slipped off the train almost immediately and began making their way through the crowd together, holding hands to make sure they didn't get separated.

Theodore was standing with Armando near the floo stations. Augustus had already gotten there and was smirking as they arrived.

"Theodore," their father said, staring down at his son. "You will be joining Augustus for Christmas this year."

Theo's eyes widened slightly. He looked from his father to Augustus to Emilie and then finally back at his father. "No."

Emilie stilled. "Theo-,"

"_No_?" Theodore repeated, his eyes flashing angrily. "You will do as I say, boy."

"No," he said again. "I'm staying with Emilie."

Theodore reached over and grabbed Emilie's arm. He tore her aggressively from her brother's side until she slammed into his side instead. His grip was tight and she fought to keep from wincing in pain. She didn't think she was doing too well. "I will not tell you again."

"I said _no_!" Theo said loudly. A spark of accidental magic slammed into Theodore's hand, burning him. He released Emilie with a slight yelp, and she stumbled back to her brother.

While Theodore was momentarily occupied by his bleeding hand, Armando reached over and tore Theo away. With him in his grip and Augstus holding onto him, he Apparated away, leaving Emilie alone with her father.

Once they were gone, Theodore looked up at her furiously. With his uninjured hand, he grabbed her and soon, they too disappeared.

Ten feet from where they'd stood, Blaise stared at the now empty spot with wide, horrified eyes. _What had just happened?_

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Emilie, truthfully, expected to land in her bedroom. It was where he most usually liked to punish her. To her great dismay, they were instead in what she _thought_ might be her basement. Instead of it looking like their furnished basement, however, it looked like… a dungeon.

Theodore said nothing as he dragged her through the dungeon toward a small, caged off area. His blood dripped from his hand onto her arm as he pushed her inside. Finally he pulled out his wand and waved it at her with a sharp flick. She was thrown back against the wall, where some chains wrapped themselves around her wrists and ankles.

Emilie let out a cry, both of pain and fear. "Father, _please_-,"

"Quiet!" he snapped at her. She shut her mouth and watched warily as he left her there. He closed the basement door behind him, leaving her alone in the dark, shaking and terrified.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

**December 25th, 1991**

Armando left early that day. He did want to have Christmas dinner with his family, after all, which meant getting done with their business finally.

He Apparated straight into the basement and found he was the first one there. The girl was still chained to the wall, of course. She was sleeping, completely unable to stay awake any longer. He strolled into the makeshift cell and came to a stop in front of her.

She was injured still. They saw no point in healing her, truthfully. The majority of the injuries were torture - done by Theodore, of course. It was fine if his wand was found with Unforgivables on it. He was going to Azkaban no matter what, that much they knew. Armando, however, would not be. He used muggle tools like knives instead.

He picked his knife up off the ground and stepped closer. Her breathing was shallow and quick, and she was tense in her sleep. He smirked at her - a nightmare, he was sure of it.

Well, any good person would wake her.

He raised the knife and sliced it into her hip. She let out a shout of surprise as she woke, fear wild in her eyes. They landed on him, and the fear settled in for what he expected to be a long stay - or however long the rest of her life was. "Good morning, Emilie. Happy Christmas." She just stared at him silently, so he continued. "I'm sure you will be much more agreeable today, yes? There is much to do, and as long as you are here, Theo cannot spend Christmas in his own home. Why would you do that to him? Why would you ruin your brother's Christmas?"

Emilie let out a quiet whimper at the words. The easiest way to manipulate her, everyone knew, was by using her brother. As much as she knew Theo didn't want to spend Christmas in Nott Manor, she also knew she was ruining his Christmas anyway.

The basement door opened, and they both watched as Theodore ambled down the stairs. He entered the cell with his wand already out and pointed at her. "_Crucio_!"

Armando leaned against the bars behind him while Emilie screamed and writhed in pain. Theodore held the spell for quite a while, until Armando got bored and put his hand on his friend's wand to lower it and break the spell. As she shook, he raised his knife and trailed it lightly up her left arm. He brushed it over her shoulder and, when it reached her collarbone, pressed it down to finally cut her. She let out a short scream of pain, and blood quickly began dripping down her chest.

She was quiet, but they would get what they needed soon. They were both sure of it. She'd give them what they needed, and they could end it. They just had to be patient.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Theo let out a scream of pain and stumbled in the middle of the hallway. There had been _something_ blocking his bond with his sister, but whatever it was, it had just been broken. He almost collapsed in the middle of the hallway, but he managed to grab onto the wall to stay up. He didn't stay there, however. Before Augustus or Lady Rookwood could get to him, he ran - at the best of his ability, that was - to the floo. It had been locked since he'd gotten there, but a quick and very useful burst of accidental magic broke the lock, and he jumped in.

He flew out the other side in Evan's office in his home. Luckily, his uncle was there with… Amelia Bones? "Uncle, it's Emilie, she's-," he cut off with another scream and doubled over this time. Evan was at his side in an instant, and he had a hand on his shoulder.

"What's he doing to her, Theo?"

"I think it's torture," he managed.

Amelia shot to her feet and strode over to the floo. "Did you come from home?"

He shook his head. "Father sent me to the Rookwood's and took Emilie home."

"They will have access to Nott Manor's floo," Evan said sharply. He looked at his nephew carefully. "Timpsy!" an elf appeared in the room. "Please take care of Theo while we are gone."

Things moved quickly after that. Amelia jumped through the floo and used the return to send them to Rookwood's house. Upon getting there, they both floo'd straight over to Nott Manor. When they exited the floo, Evan stopped short for half a second at the sound of Emilie's screams from below them. Half a second was enough time, however, to recover. After that, he took off in a sprint toward the basement and then down the stairs with his wand out. He shot the door open and heard the sound of Apparition as he ran down.

Theodore was still there, however, and despite spotting him, still torturing his niece. "You little _bitch_! Look what you've done!"

"Nott, drop the wand!" Amelia shouted, her own pointed at him. Theodore stopped the spell, but didn't drop his wand. "That's it, put it on the ground."

"_Avada_-,"

"_Decrusto_!" Evan screamed, shooting his spell much faster than Theodore was able to. The frail, old man dropped to the ground as his feet quickly disintegrated out from under him. Evan stared in disbelief, but he moved quickly into the cell. Amelia ran over to Theodore's quickly disintegrating body to attempt to stop it. She was able to, but she couldn't keep it from killing him. It had gotten halfway through his body by the time she'd cast a counter good enough to stop it. Ignoring her, Evan released the chains holding Emilie, and she fell into his arms, barely awake. "I've got you, Avi."

"He's dead," Amelia confirmed from behind them.

"Uncle…." Emilie trailed off as she fell unconscious finally. Evan got to his feet with her in his arms and looked at Amelia.

"I'm taking her to St. Mungo's."

"Of course," the woman nodded. "I'll be along once I get aurors in here."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

**December 29th, 1991**

In the end, Amelia had waited three hours for the aurors to arrive, along with a crime scene inspector. Once they were, she'd stopped by the hospital after grabbing Theo. She had stayed there for six hours with Evan, helping to watch Theo while he dealt with the doctors.

Wizarding law said that, in absence of a will, a child's guardian would be their closest blood relative. That being Evan, he was allowed to watch the twins until the wills of Theodore and Maria were unearthed. Maria's had never been read under order from Theodore, and they felt it was time.

Healing was a difficult thing. The Cruciatus had been used extensively, leaving her with nerve damage. Aside from that, she'd been given numerous cuts that were never healed, causing not only blood loss but also infections that were difficult to heal. There were a few places where she'd clearly been hit, and while most of them simply bruised, there was one on the bottom, right side of her stomach that had actually caused her appendix to rupture. They'd been forced to remove it. While they did so with magic, it was still invasive and gave her a light scar after the use of Dittany.

She'd been put in a healing coma to allow her core to refill. It had emptied itself on Christmas Day very abruptly in the effort to overpower the wards put up around the basement to keep unwanted people out and to keep the twin bond suppressed.

On the fourth day after she'd been rescued, Emilie had been deemed safe enough to wake. Healer Riedel removed the spell keeping her asleep and stepped back. Theo was lying on the bed next to her, lending his own magic to the growth. Aside from him, Evan was placed by her side and held her hand, helping just as much as Theo was.

When he'd grabbed her in the basement, she'd latched onto him in more ways than one. After such a traumatic experience, he was the first person she trusted that she saw. Her core had grabbed onto his, and they'd formed a healing bond. It was one that was less common - only well known when someone was gravely injured. Typically, a healing bond was held between two family members, both feeling extreme emotions.

Emilie's eyes slowly blinked open. She looked around without moving her head. The first person she caught sight of was Theo, and it confused her, though she wasn't sure why. She looked past him and saw Healer Riedel, who offered her a smile.

"There she is," she said. "Welcome back. How are you feeling? Pain?"

She was surprised to find that there _was_ pain. "Yes," she said, her throat scratchy. She gave a wince at the feeling and tried again, this time whispering. "Why?"

"You've been through quite a bit," the woman told her. She nodded past her, and Emilie followed her gaze to find Evan sitting by her side, frowning at her anxiously. "You owe your uncle a life debt."

Her eyes widened slightly as she stared at the man. He looked worse than she'd ever seen him before. He was tense and seemed like he hadn't changed clothes, showered, or slept in days. He rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb gently, a comforting motion that made her relax minimally.

"You've probably got amnesia, Avi," he told her calmly. "It's alright."

"I'll have someone get you a pain potion," the healer told her with a smile. She watched the woman leave before turning back to look between her brother and uncle.

"What…" she trailed off, not even sure what question she should ask first. "I don't understand."

"It was Father," Theo supplied for her quietly. "It's Christmas break, Emilie."

"Christmas…" Emilie frowned, trying to remember. A fragment of a memory flashed through her mind and she winced hard.

"_Why would you ruin your brother's Christmas?"_

"How am I… what happened?" she asked finally, looking to Evan. He flashed her a tight smile and squeezed her hand carefully.

"We found you, Em, just like I said we would. You'll be staying with me from now on, both of you, okay?"

"Father was arrested?"

Evan hesitated. "No, Avi. No, he wasn't. He was going to hurt you very badly, worse than he already did, and I- he's gone. He won't hurt you again, I promise."

Emilie closed her eyes at the news and paused as the scene played in her mind. She'd been barely awake when her uncle had killed her father, but she'd apparently been awake enough to remember the sight. More than that, she remembered the smell of burning flesh that the spell had caused, and she gagged slightly. "Was it… really Christmas?"

"Yes," Theo answered her. He rubbed her arm in comfort. "It's December 29th today."

"Did you tell anyone?" she wondered, looking between them. They both shook her head, but Theo winced.

"Blaise has been writing us since break started. Lady Bones found the letters on Father's desk in his office. I guess he saw us be separated."

"I have been receiving letters from Mister Rowle and Mister Avery. Would you like me to write them or your friends? They can visit as soon as Healer Riedel says you're fit for it," Evan told her. She hesitated as she considered it.

"Just Rowle and Avery," she requested. "I don't want to… we can tell my friends about it on the train ride back to school."

"That's not a good idea, Em," Theo frowned at her. "Blaise seems really worried, and if he's writing us this much, I have no doubt he's written Draco and Daphne."

"And they probably told him it was no big deal," she shrugged. The movement hurt, and she grimaced as she tried to relax again.

"But it _was_ a big deal!"

"Yeah, and they don't know that, do they?" she shot back. "No. Thorfinn and Avery knew something was going to happen. Out of anyone, they need to know I'm okay."

Theo was going to argue more, but the door opened again and a mediwitch named Clarissa walked in. She flashed Emilie a bright smile and passed over a small cup. "Welcome back, Emilie. This is an extra-strength pain potion. It'll help with the pain, but not the shaking. That's from the nerve damage, and it's why you'll need to call for us if you plan to get out of bed for anything. Your bed alarm is on, so don't try to get up without us, okay?"

Emilie screwed up her face in irritation. "But I'm not shaking."

Clarissa smiled kindly and grabbed her hand from Theo to raise it for Emilie to look at. She found the woman was right - she was shaking violently and she hadn't even realized. "That's alright. You'll become more aware as the potions that kept you asleep with the help of the spell wear off."

"Can she have guests?" Evan asked. The mediwitch nodded.

"She's not in danger, but she needs to take it easy. Guests that rile her up will be removed from the room," she warned.

"So definitely not Blaise anyway," Emilie made a face at her brother, who returned the same face.

As soon as Clarissa left, Evan called Timpsy and told him to get the message to the elder Slytherins with the room number. While waiting for them, Emilie looked over at her brother again and frowned. "I'm sorry I ruined Christmas."

"Father ruined Christmas," Theo scoffed in disgust. "You had nothing to do with it."

She let out a sigh and closed her eyes. "He told me I was ruining your Christmas."

"Father did?"

"No," she disagreed quietly. "It was-," she cut off just before giving him Armando's name. A sharp pain hit her core and she nearly screamed at the abruptness of it.

"Avi," Evan leaned closer and squeezed her hand within his own. "What is it?"

"It was-," she tried again, but the pain repeated itself, and this time she did scream, albeit quietly.

"She's trying to say it was-," Theo tried, but soon the pain was repeated on him.

Evan looked between them in frustration. "When I got there, I heard someone Disapparate. I only saw your father. Was it Rookwood?"

"No," they said together against their will. They weren't even able to look at each other in horror or do anything that would suggest what they'd just said was anything but the truth. They both tried - they tried following up with "that wasn't true" or simply shaking their heads, but each time, their cores were hit with the same, painful dark magic as before.

"Okay," Evan offered them a tense smile. "It's okay. We'll figure this out."

There was a short knock on the door. When Evan called out to come in, Emilie's eyes settled on her elder friends, both of whom had rather grim looks on their faces.

"Thank you for coming," Evan nodded at them both. He'd truly come to appreciate them and rely on them, and he was sure they knew as much.

"What happened, sweetheart?" Thorfinn asked. He was looking at her with a dark frown and came to stand at the side of her bed that Evan wasn't on, planting him at Theo's left. Avery, meanwhile, stopped at the end of the bed with his lips thinned. He was so tense that he was barely moving at all. Emilie almost wondered if he was even breathing.

"Thought I'd go fight some vampires for fun," she muttered, irritated at the looks she was getting. "What do you _think_ happened?"

"Nott," Avery stared at Evan. "He did this?"

"Yes," Evan confirmed quietly, watching his niece.

"Where is he?" Thorfinn asked, his eyes sharpening on her, though he spoke to Evan.

"He's dead," Emilie said when Evan paused. "Uncle Evan killed him."

"You remember?" Evan asked her, startled. She nodded, the sight of him desperately casting the dark curse at her father stuck in her mind.

"I'm remembering more the longer I've been awake," she explained. "I think I remember you doing that and then… nothing else."

"And your plan for her now is what, exactly?" Avery asked indelicately.

"They'll come live with me as they should've the moment Maria died," Evan said, snapping slightly. "Amelia Bones is working on the paperwork with Wizarding Children's Services."

"What he means," Emilie said, looking at her friend. "I think, is… am I going to be okay?"

Evan settled slightly when Avery gave him a sharp nod. He understood somewhat that while they were raised to be unshakable in the pureblood world, no one was truly unshakable, especially when faced with someone they cared for nearly murdered. "You will have lasting damage, Avi, I will not keep that from you. They're unsure of the recovery speed. You have some new scars, but you will live. You should be out of here very soon, in fact. We've been waiting for your core to refill."

"Refill?" she shook her head. "Why was it empty?"

"Kingsley Shacklebolt found some shattered warding in the basement," he explained slowly. "Warding that ensured only certain people could get down there. Aside from that, it almost entirely suppressed your twin bond."

"I wasn't sure what had happened," Theo told her quietly. They were both aware of Thorfinn and Avery listening silently, but neither could find the energy to care at the moment. There was no real hiding how bad things were, so they saw no point in pretending they could. "We were separated, and then… nothing. You were scared and then there was nothing for four days."

Emilie frowned at him. "Are _you_ okay? You weren't hurt or…?"

He shrugged slightly. "Just things I felt over the bond when you destroyed the wards. I got a pain potion for it and I'm fine now."

"I don't get it, though. How did I destroy the wards?"

"Accidental magic," Thorfinn guessed. "In life threatening situations, even a fully grown witch or wizard will have some well-time or well-aimed accidental magic. A last ditch effort at saving our lives."

Evan nodded. "He's right. That's why your core was drained, Em. It used all the magic that wasn't going to your various injuries to destroy the wards. If your father had set them up himself, I'm not sure you would have been able to at all."

"He didn't do it?" Theo asked, shocked. Evan frowned.

"No, he didn't. Whoever was down there with him did. Amelia herself tested the remnants of the wards six ways from Sunday, but there's not enough left to give a magical signature."

The door opened again, and Clarissa came to a stop at the sight of Avery and Thorfinn before turning to Evan and Emilie. "Everything looks good. Your core levels are shaky, so you'll have to refrain from doing any strenuous magic. Since you're twelve, I don't see that being much of a problem."

"You haven't seen the witch dismantle blood wards," Thorfinn said, raising an eyebrow at Emilie. Clarissa laughed, but when she realized he was serious, she frowned.

"No one so young could…" she shook herself. "How about we just say no magic for two weeks period, okay?"

"_Two weeks_?" she asked, sitting up abruptly. She hissed at the pain, but still stared defiantly. "I feel fine! Or my magic is fine. Surely that's too much."

"Emilie, I'm not sure you understand the danger you were in," Clarissa frowned. "You drained your core, dear. I'm not talking, you need to take a nap kind. I mean that if your uncle hadn't gotten to you when he did- if he hadn't gotten you here when he did so we could give you an emergency transplant, you would have died. Typically, we put grown witches and wizards on magical reserve for three months after such an ordeal. Since you're still growing and, therefore, your core is still growing, it is more flexible. It can shrink and grow with you, and adjust easily. Two weeks minimum, okay? And I expect all of you to ensure she does not cast a single spell before then, or do any illegal curse breaking."

"Hey, no one said it was illegal," Emilie defended absently as she took in the information. She _did_ feel fine, but she wondered how she'd feel after a simple _Wingardium Leviosa_. Probably not great, according to Clarissa.

"Avi, blood magic is illegal," Evan sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Any sort, even the curse breaking type. Tell me you did not actually-,"

"She didn't," Theo interrupted firmly. He was the better liar between the pair. Unfortunately, their uncle knew as much and gave them both a look that said he would punish them if she hadn't just nearly been murdered by their father and, assumedly, Lord Rookwood.

"Aside from the magical restriction," Clarissa continued. "We will be sending you home with a supply of a potion for _Longis Cruciatu_-," she paused when both teenagers tensed. "I apologize, is it alright to go over this with them here?"

"Might as well," Evan waved her on. "They'll be looking after her at Hogwarts."

"Uncle Evan, I do _not_ need them to-,"

"Emilie, look at me," he said, his eyes flashing in warning. "They will be. If you attempt to keep away from them or stop them from helping, I will homeschool you."

"Uncle!"

The pair stared at one another for a long moment before she finally set her jaw and looked away, turning up her nose a little. Evan ignored what was, for Emilie, basically a temper tantrum and waved on the mediwitch.

"As I said, we will send you home with a month's worth of potions. You'll take one of each three times a day with food, and try to stay hydrated as well, because they work best when you are hydrated. Aside from that, follow up with Madame Pomfrey when you get to Hogwarts. You can leave whenever you're ready - we'll owl the potions over today."

OoOoOoOoOoOo


	7. Blood On My Tongue

**Chapter Seven**

_Though I am bruised_

_Face of contusions_

_Know I'll keep moving_

**December 29th, 1991**

Avery and Thorfinn were invited back to Rosier Manor. They both accepted and, thirty minutes later, they'd arrived. It was a slight whirlwind of getting Emilie settled, because she was getting increasingly frustrated over the limitations she was under because of pain. Eventually, however, the twins settled themselves in the library, and Evan took the teenagers to his office, where he sat down and let out a long, deep breath.

"It was Rookwood," Thorfinn said calmly. Evan nodded.

"I know. I know it was, but they've put some sort of spell on them both. With Theo, I expect it was planned out - he'd know who helped Theodore, and he'd tell me as soon as he could. I'd like to assume the spell on Emilie was put there in a rush when we got there. It gives me hope that it will wear off, or that it won't cover everything."

"What will you do about it?" Avery asked with a slight frown.

"I will do nothing. You, however," Evan looked at him. Avery tensed and certainly gave off the air of _hell no_. "Theo cannot do it. Even if he did figure anything out, he wouldn't be able to tell anyone without it hurting him. Thorfinn's strengths do not lie in mind magic, but yours do, to an extent."

"_To an extent_," he hissed. "I can intrude, curse, and heal with the best of them, but precision mind magic is not my forte, Rosier. I will not damage her because you are desperate to-,"

"You are not old enough to know Rookwood well," Evan sighed. He leaned back in his chair with a dark frown. "The things he has done… the deep obsession he has, it gives cause to worry."

"Nott is dead," Thorfinn shook his head. "Surely, Rookwood will back off of her now."

"I never did believe that Rookwood assisted Theodore simply for Theodore's sake. He wants something from Emilie. I don't believe he's gotten it, but if he has done anything more than prevent her from telling me he was involved-,"

"What could he want from her?" Thorfinn frowned, leaning forward in his chair. His blonde hair was, in a rare moment, not in its usual bun, and it fell in his eyes. "She is twelve and she holds no power that Theo does not have."

Evan grimaced. "Power isn't what he wants from her. I won't go into details. I just need you to get that persuasive mind magic removed and ensure he's done nothing else to her. This is very important, Avery. She trusts you."

Avery's jaw was set tightly, and he was silent as he stared at Evan, deep in thought. After a minute of silence, he gave a short nod. Evan let out a breath of relief.

"Thank you."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

**January 3rd, 1992**

Returning to Hogwarts was difficult. It had been decided, after much deliberation, that Theo and Emilie would floo to Dumbledore's office instead of going on the train. From there, they would both go to see Madame Pomfrey for another check up.

Unfortunately, that check up was taking longer than expected, and left their friends panicking. Blaise was certainly not helping matters as he leaned over to hiss at their friends. "I _told you_! They're probably dead at home or something!"

"They can't be," Daphne said before hesitating. "Right?"

Draco frowned down at his dinner. "What did you say you saw again?"

"I- I don't know," Blaise shook his head in stress. "They were seperated. Rookwood took Theo, their dad took Emilie. They were scared, too, like they knew something was coming."

"Shit," Draco whispered, paling. "Shit, she might be dead."

"_What_?" Daphne hissed. She shoved him slightly. "Stop it!"

"I was right!" Blaise said a bit too loudly. "They're dead!"

Heads turned to stare at them, mostly out of confusion. Two older Slytherins, however, looked _very_ annoyed. They made their way over and sat by the group, glaring them down. Thorfinn raised an eyebrow at them, prompting Blaise to explain what he'd seen on the first day of break.

"They are not dead," Avery scoffed.

"Then what happened to them? Why were they seperated? _Where are they_?" Draco asked. He glared at the older boys with the bravery of a Gryffindor. Thorfinn just rolled his eyes.

"Shut up, kid, and ask them yourself when you see them."

"But they're not here!"

"They're in the castle," Thorfinn disagreed. "So find some patience and _ask _them_ when you see them_."

"You're sure they're here?" Blaise asked. Both boys just stared at him, so he nodded. He could wait ten minutes to find them - dinner was almost over, anyway.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Theo was released from Madame Pomfrey's care first, but he hung around waiting for his sister. While he hadn't been physically hurt, Evan had insisted Madame Pomfrey check his mind for any damage done when the spell had been placed. Luckily, there had been very little, and Madame Pomfrey had just told him to double up his Occlumency lessons for a couple of weeks.

The door to the infirmary opened and the twins looked up as Snape strode in. His eyes settled on Emilie and he stopped in front of the bed she sat on. She shook slightly as she waited for Madame Pomfrey to bring her potions to her. "Professor," she greeted in surprise. She bit down on her lip in stress. He wasn't supposed to be there - no one was supposed to be there.

"Mister Nott, Miss Nott," he replied, looking them both over closely.

"Professor Snape, what are you doing here?" Theo asked in confusion. No one really knew where they were aside from Avery and Thorfinn. Their Head of House, as far as they knew, had been told nothing.

"Two of my students were missing from dinner," he replied calmly. "Professor Dumbledore said I would find them here."

Emilie's eyes narrowed slightly. "We're fine, Professor. I'm just not feeling well, so Uncle Evan told me to come straight here."

Snape covered his surprise quickly. It was well known that their uncle was to stay away from them. Unless things had changed, that was. There'd been nothing in the papers, nor whispers through the pureblood community. "Your uncle."

The twins exchanged a calculating glance.

"We're staying with Uncle Evan now," Theo said calmly.

"I see," Snape said. "I will, of course, need confirmation from your father that your uncle is now your guardian."

"Father died," Emilie told him sharply. "Over break."

The man in front of them took a moment to consider the situation with that information. Something had happened, that much was clear. He wasn't sure what it was, but it was _something_. "In that case, we will need to speak with Lord Rosier."

"Uncle Evan talked to Professor Dumbledore," Theo assured him. "But if you need to as well, we can owl him in the morning."

"Do that," Snape ordered. He looked between the twins and settled his gaze on Emilie. "If you will miss classes, be sure to get a note from Madame Pomfrey."

"Yes, sir."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Snape returned to the infirmary as soon as the Nott twins had left for their common room with two notes excusing their being out past curfew. He entered the room to find Poppy sitting at her desk with a glass of firewhiskey in hand. He gave one sharp knock on the door and stood waiting as she turned around with a scowl. It quickly turned to a glare, which she pointed at him furiously.

"Poppy-,"

"_I told you_!" she hissed. "And now look!"

"There is nothing I could have done," he told her. He tried to be patient - he knew the mediwitch cared for the students immensely. He cared, too, despite what said students believed. He didn't like teaching, that much was true, but he cared for his students. He saw many of them, including the Nott twins, in the same position he'd been in as a student. Abused and forced to do things they didn't necessarily want to do. "What happened to them?"

Poppy tipped back her drink and took a moment to pour more in the cup before speaking again. "I believe Lord Nott tried to kill her. She was certainly tortured for far too long. There were more than one magical signatures connected to the scarring on her core, as well. Something has happened to her mind, according to Lord Rosier, as well as Theo's. I will be doing weekly checkups on her and monthly checkups on him."

Snape was silent as he took it all in. If Poppy was right, there would be a plethora of side effects that Emilie would need to manage. The girl seemed far too proud to ask for help, and if no one had explained it to her, she'd have no way of knowing how to help herself. "Thank you, Poppy."

"Severus," she frowned up at him. "Protect them."

Unwilling to promise anything, he turned on his heel and made his way out of her office and toward the dungeons again. He had a lot to figure out and much planning to do.

Theodore Nott might be dead, but Theo and Emilie were in no less danger, that was for sure.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

It was nearly ten when they got back to the common room. When they got there, they found their friends waiting together in worry. Blaise saw them first when they entered, and he stopped his pacing to shoot over to them. He practically jumped on Emilie to hug her, and she groaned in pain while hugging him back. "Merlin Blaise- ow!"

"Okay," Theo tugged him off of her. "We're fine."

"You look like shit," Blaise told Emilie as he frowned at her critically. "If you were fine, you wouldn't have ignored _two weeks_ of letters!"

"Fine is the wrong word," Emilie allowed. She pushed past him and went to sit next to Daphne. The couch was _much_ more comfortable than the exam table she'd been sitting on for about three hours. "A lot happened, but we're safe now."

"I told you!" Blaise exclaimed as he made a face mostly at Draco. The blonde boy scowled and looked to Emilie.

"You were hurt."

"Yes."

"Father died," Theo told their friends. "We didn't write you back because Emilie was recovering."

"What happened, exactly?" Daphne asked carefully.

Theo and Emilie looked at one another, communicating silently through their bond.

"They don't want to tell us," Draco scoffed. "They're coming up with a lie."

"It's… difficult," Emilie grimaced. "Just a really bad Christmas."

"And one that I do not suggest you discuss here, pet."

Emilie looked up to find Avery standing calmly behind the couch, looking down at her with a frown. "When Uncle Evan told you guys to watch out for me, I hope you don't think he meant stalking me. I can handle being in the common room with my friends, you know. Don't you have more important things to do?"

"For a multitude of reasons, no," he answered her with a smirk. "Go to a dorm if you plan to discuss what happened."

"_Why_?" Blaise asked with a loud, impatient sigh.

"Because just as we will be watching you, so will Augustus," Avery said. He was leaning against a pole behind the couch with his arms crossed over his chest much too casually. "I overheard him asking where you were at dinner."

Emilie frowned and got to her feet with the help of her brother. "Thanks, Avery."

"Our first meeting will be in the morning," he called as she made her way toward the stairs. She turned back, confused.

"Meeting?"

"Evan did not tell you."

"Uncle Evan has had a lot going on," she reminded him. "What meeting?"

"Occlumency," he said shortly. Immediately, she tensed.

"Absolutely not. You're not going in my head. You did it before because you had to, but now- I'm _fine_!"

Avery made his way over silently and leaned down slightly to match her height. "We both know just how untrue that is, pet. If you were fine, you would have no problem telling me that it was Lord Rookwood that assisted your father. If you can do that for me right now, then I will inform Evan and you can continue Occlumency on your own."

Emilie's mouth snapped shut as she resisted the urge to assure him that Rookwood hadn't done anything. She stared her friend down angrily - angry because she couldn't tell the truth, angry because she knew he was right, and angry that she would have to bare her mind to him once more.

"That's what I thought," he hummed in disappointment. "Tomorrow morning before class. I know where we can go. Meet me up here at six."

"Goodnight," she muttered, unable to say anything else. He gave her a short nod and stepped back to let her and her friends down to the first year boys' dorm. When they'd all gotten down there and were settled, the twins got very impatient and expectant looks thrown at them.

"Well?" Draco raised an eyebrow at her in a look that was very reminiscent of his own father.

"Okay…" Emilie bit her lip and sighed. "I guess we'll tell you guys all of it, but I really need you to just not overreact." None of them said a thing as they waited for her to explain. "Right. Like Blaise said, Theo and I were separated at the beginning of break. Father took me home, and Theo- Theo-,"

"Went with Rookwood," Blaise filled in with a frown.

"It doesn't matter," she settled on. It seemed to appease whatever suppressive magic was in her mind, so she moved on. "When I got home… things were bad. I won't go into all of the details, but things were bad. I was hurt, and Father… he was trying to kill me."

"Oh Merlin," Daphne gasped. Her hand flew to her mouth in horror as she stared at her best friend.

"But you said your father died," Draco reminded her. "So?"

"So the suppressive warding Father had put up to block our bond fell with some accidental magic," Theo continued for her. "So I knew how bad it was, and I managed to get to Uncle Evan to tell him. Amelia Bones was there with him. They were waiting, I think, for this to happen. They went to Nott Manor and-,"

"And Uncle Evan killed Father because Father was about to kill me," Emilie said. "That's the last thing I remember before I woke up in Janus Thickney."

"Spell damage?" Blaise asked softly. She grimaced.

"They wanted information from me before…" she shook her head. "But I couldn't give it to them, so-,"

"Torture," Daphne guessed. "You're _twelve_!"

"Well, it's not like they were trying to keep me alive," Emilie shot back, annoyed. All of her friends winced, and so did she. "I'm sorry."

"Did you know something was going to happen?" Daphne asked quietly.

"Ever since the train," she confirmed. "Dolohov said Father was trying to get the bill to lower the age of an heir to twelve, and he did that. Then, he also lowered the age of a Lord to twelve. He had what he wanted - he could name Theo Lord Nott and kill me."

"Why didn't you _say_ anything?" the other girl asked. All of their friends looked sick and horrified. Emilie considered the fact that maybe she should've said something to them at the beginning of the year.

"I thought we had it handled," she replied slowly. "I was wrong."

"What information did they want?" Draco questioned.

"The troll," she sighed. "You guys know I was hurt, but not how badly."

"You sprained your wrist," Blaise frowned at her.

Emilie shifted a little and pulled her robes tighter around her. "Well, it was actually broken. And… there was also more. I can't remember all of it, but I gathered that it was pretty bad."

"But you didn't go to Madame Pomfrey," Blaise pointed out.

"She didn't," Theo agreed tiredly. Emilie had filled him in, of course. She tried her best to never keep secrets from him, and she hadn't exactly been given a choice - through their bond, they knew quite a bit about one another's physical and mental state, so when she was hurt, he'd known.

"Avery, Thorfinn, and Dolohov healed me," she sighed. "They found me right after Harry and the Weasley twins did. The information my father wanted was who had healed me, in case they'd taken my medical history."

"Did they?"

"No, but Thorfinn knows now. Dolohov does not."

"Avery?" Theo asked with a frown.

"Uncle Evan must've told him, or he was just guessing and I confirmed it. I'm not sure, but he knows as recently as June."

"June," Daphne repeated thoughtfully. Her eyes slowly darkened. "In June, Mother left in the middle of the night and came home with both of you. We didn't get to see you for three days after. Did Lord Nott-,"

"Before Christmas, that was the last time he'd tried to kill me," she confirmed quickly. Looking between her friends, she shook her head. "You have no idea how many times your parents saved me, all of them."

"Your entire life, he was… trying to kill you?" Blaise said softly. "But why?"

The twins exchanged a glance, both of them remembering the day their mother died. Quickly, they both tensed up.

"The point is, Avery was right. I'm probably not entirely safe. Augustus and I have always hated one another, and because I wouldn't give him the information he wanted, I think he's lost some credibility in his father's eyes. Lord Rookwood's approval means everything to him, so-,"

"Augustus tortured her in the library," Theo said, gaining a glare from his sister. She _definitely_ hadn't been going to tell them that, he knew.

"Theo!"

"_What_?"

"That crazy bastard- Merlin's sake!" Draco said loudly, staring at the girl in question. "What the _hell_, Nott?"

"Dolohov found me and took me to Uncle Evan," she said, glaring still at Theo. "They didn't need to know!"

"Em, he already tortured you," Theo disagreed calmly. "He thought you were going to be killed and out of his life, but you weren't. He hates you, and we both know the number of times he's hexed and cursed you when we'd get sent over there. He's about as obsessed with you as Father and Lord Rookwood."

"Lord Rookwood is obsessed with you?" Daphne asked, confused. "Why?"

Emilie thought back to Christmas day. Something the man had said to her not long before she'd been saved.

"_I'll make it easy, Emilie. Give us this information, and I'll be gentle with you afterwards. Or you can keep resisting… it is more fun for me that way._"

She wasn't really sure what he'd meant. She didn't know what he'd wanted, or how he could've been gentle. Torture was torture, after all. There's nothing gentle about it. It suggested he wanted something else, but she had nothing else he wanted, did she? "I… don't know."

"So what now?" Daphne asked her. "What will you do? Especially with your father dead."

"Uncle Evan has custody of us," Theo explained. "But they're still trying to unseal Father's will, along with Mother's."

"What d'you think it'll say?" Blaise wondered quietly. The twins exchanged another glance. They hadn't stopped to talk about that yet.

"It would only make sense that Father would have Rookwood take care of us," Emilie said reluctantly. "I may not even be mentioned in it, actually. He probably assumed I'd be dead if he was."

"But Lady Nott wouldn't have put that in her will," Draco pointed out. "Two wills from two people with equal claim over you both, it'd start something pretty big."

"In the meantime, they'll stay with Evan, though," Daphne sighed. "Hopefully Lady Bones will be able to keep them there."

"And while I'm glad to see you guys, we do have potions at eight tomorrow, and I'm exhausted," Emilie told them. "Daph, can we…?"

"Yeah," Daphne agreed, getting to her feet. "We'll see you guys in the morning."

"Night, guys," Emilie waved as they walked out of the dorm and over to their own.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

**January 4th, 1992**

Emilie got to the common room ten minutes early that morning. She wore her school uniform and, to keep herself from pacing, she sat on a couch with her ankles crossed and her hands in her lap. She was stiff, however, and barely blinked.

"You'll have to be better than that, pet."

Emilie jumped and looked behind her to find Avery standing by the stairs looking much too relaxed. "What- _Avery_!"

He smirked as he walked over. "Come on. We've got an hour and a half and it'll take fifteen minutes to get where we need to be."

Emilie ignored his hand and pulled herself to her feet. She was still shaking and in pain, and as much as she tried not to let it show, it did. Avery had learned his lesson on grabbing her without warning, so he held out his arm for her and waited, looking ahead. Emilie looked at him with a frown, but she grabbed his arm and as they walked, they both pretended she wasn't leaning heavily on him.

He was right. It took them about fifteen minutes to get to the seventh floor from the dungeons. They'd have gotten there in ten, had Emilie not needed to take breaks every other floor.

Avery began pacing in front of the wall while she leaned against the stairs behind her, watching him. She was just about to ask if he'd lost his mind when a door began appearing. He opened it and walked over to help her in.

"What is this place?" She asked. Her eyes took in the sight before her. They were in some sort of library with books all over and comfy chairs and couches in between the shelves. There were throw pillows and blankets strewn all over the place, giving it a comfy feel. To top it all off, there was a fire roaring in the fireplace across from a coffee table that sat in front of the biggest couch. Avery led her over there and sat her down, sitting by her on the couch when she was settled.

"It has a few names. The Room of Hidden Things and the Room of Requirement being two of them. I prefer the latter as it is more accurate to the Room's functionality."

"Where are we?" She wondered. She'd heard of the room they were in from Narcissa. The woman had stumbled upon it during her time at Hogwarts and claimed it had given her a bedroom to sleep in when she'd been trying to escape a boy that had followed her.

"This is my grandfather's library," Avery told her. He looked around with a small smile. "I hoped you would like it."

"I _do_," she nodded.

Avery let her be for a moment before he began. He had to prepare himself just as much as she did. When she finally looked at him expectantly, he steadied himself. "I'm aware you were not told about this, which suggests you don't know how it will work. Correct?"

"Yes."

"Evan asked me to do a couple of things for you. First, I'm to check for any hidden damage. Second, I'm to find the curse on your mind and attempt to break it. Failing that, I am to gather evidence of who helped your father. Understand?"

"I understand. I'm just not very comfortable with this," she reminded him. She wasn't going to fight him, but the thought of anyone in her mind, able to see what she'd been through just made her sick.

"We will start with something easy," he assured her. "A memory you're fond of, maybe. We'll watch that and I'll get a better understanding of how your mind works. After that, I'll ask you questions that will hopefully trigger these memories. Once I've seen them, I can remove them from my own mind and they can be used as evidence."

"Right."

"Are you ready?"

Emilie took in a deep breath and met his eyes. "I'm ready."

"_Legilimens_!"

_Both Emilie and Avery fell into a memory. It was one that she seemed to treasure, and he quickly understood why. _

"_Emilie Rose!" A woman called out with a sweet smile on her face. "I brought cookies!"_

_A five-year-old Emilie came speeding into the room with a silly grin. When she reached her mother, she wrapped her arms around her legs. "Mummy! Father took Theo to the Ministry so I got to play with the broom all by myself!"_

_Maria Nott tensed slightly, but her daughter didn't seem to notice. "Darling, is nobody else home?"_

"_Nope! Can I have cookies now?"_

"_Oh yes, of course," Maria said, shaking herself. She pulled a cookie off a plate on the counter and handed it over. "Guess who sent these?"_

"_Uncle Evan!" Emilie exclaimed. Maria nodded. _

"_He gave them to Lady Lagrou to give to me. Now, would you like to go to the park? It's a beautiful day."_

"_Yes!"_

The memory faded out and the pair were thrown into a sort of waiting space in her mind - waiting for another memory.

"So?" Emilie asked softly. "Did that help?"

"It did," he assured her. "Now I'm going to start asking questions, okay? They'll be difficult to handle, but they are important."

"I know."

"Okay, pet. When you were being hurt, who hurt you?"

There was barely a second before a memory slammed into them and sent them flying into it.

_Emilie's eyes blinked open slowly. She didn't remember falling asleep. When they focused, she realized she hadn't been sleeping - she'd been stunned. She began struggling against the chains that held her to the wall and whimpering. _

"_Oh, there, there," Rookwood shushed. He stroked her cheek with the back of his hand before slapping her with it. She let out a cry and his grin only grew. _

_His hands placed themselves on both of her shoulders and he looked down at her menacingly. "Once your father's finished with you, it's my turn. I've waited years for him to finally snap so I could have you. Ever since you were born and that whore Maria convinced him to spare you, I knew he'd snap. Now I'm so close… you'd better make it worth it for me or I'll __destroy__ you. So… tell me, who healed you?"_

_Emilie, despite feeling like she was going to be sick, just glared at him. "Theo knows you're helping Father. He'll tell Uncle Evan and they'll send you to Azkaban."_

_Armando smirked at her. He pushed some hair out of her face and began pacing in front of her. "Don't you worry about that, Emilie. I've already taken care of your brother." _

_Emilie tensed. "What? What are you talking about? What did you do to him?"_

"_Nothing much," he assured her. "Yet. If you refuse to give me the names we need, I'll be forced to do something I don't want to do. For Theo's sake, tell me who helped you."_

_She stared at him with furious tears in her eyes and spat at him. Armando froze where he was as his eyes sharpened on her with fury. His hand, which had been at his side, arched up suddenly and cut her stomach and ribs to her collarbone. She let out a sharp scream as blood began to soak her shirt, which had been properly cut in half. _

The memory ended abruptly and the pair both slipped out of her mind. When Avery was able to focus enough to look at her, he found her shaking wildly and nearly hyperventilating. "Pet, calm down. You're safe. It was just a memory."

"I can't- I can't- I didn't-," she tried as she wrapped her arms around herself.

"_Emilie_," he said sharply. Her eyes shot back to his, and he reached out slowly to touch her arm. "It was a _memory_. A horribly unpleasant one, but still just a memory. It only has as much power over you as you allow it to. Breathe, look at me, and calm yourself."

She tried to do as he said. He was right, she knew, so she stared into his eyes the entire time she worked on slowing her breathing. By the time it resembled something normal, she felt a bit clearer - clear enough to speak. "I didn't remember that."

"Which part?"

"All of it. I didn't remember… any of that. The things he said… what did he mean, Avery? I don't understand. It doesn't make sense."

Avery could only guess, and he was sure Evan didn't want her to know what it was Rookwood had wanted. Despite that, he also felt she had a right to know exactly what type of people were in that family - the type of people that wanted to hurt her. "Pet, what did he mean? About your mother?"

Emilie opened her mouth to reply and promptly shut it again. She hadn't expected him to pick up on that. "Avery…"

He looked at her seriously. "Everything I see or learn during these sessions- I will not tell anyone aside from Evan, and only what he's asked me to tell him about, which isn't much."

She stared at him. He was being honest, she thought. As much as it frustrated her, she trusted him deeply. She knew he cared for her and wanted to protect her, so… truly, it seemed like a low risk to take. "My entire life, my father has hated me. I remember being separated from Theo when we were younger, and Father was… he was so angry when we found our way back together. He's always hated me, Avery. The first time he tried to kill me was the day my mother died. Uncle Evan reported Father to the DMLE because I kept coming over hurt."

"Which was why he asked me to befriend you," Avery agreed. "Followed by Thorfinn."

"Yes, well, it was too late. It infuriated Father and he came home to kill me. He threw a curse at me, but… I don't know how it happened. Mother tried to get in front of me, but she didn't make it. The curse still hit her. Cut her open. She died.

"My Father was… he's always been obsessed with having Theo become the perfect heir. I was an obstacle. Every time I got in the way, he tried to kill me. So my guess to what he meant was that when I was born with Theo, Father wanted to kill me and Mother convinced him not to. At this point, I have to wonder if she should've just let him."

Avery tensed at her words. "The number of people that want to protect you-,"

"You wouldn't have needed to protect me if I didn't exist," she snapped at him. "Mother would be alive, Uncle Evan wouldn't have lost his sister without even saying goodbye, and… who knows? Maybe Father would be perfectly nice. Maybe it really is just me."

"It isn't," Avery said calmly. "He would still have been the same man he was, simply with one less victim."

Emilie knew he was right, but she still felt like it was her fault. That wasn't, however, something she felt like discussing anymore. In fact, she quickly realized she really wanted to leave. "Are we done for now?"

Avery pursed his lips, but he gave a sharp nod. "We will continue at the same time tomorrow."

She didn't need anything else to excuse her - she got up and slipped out of the room and breathed out sharply once she'd escaped. She'd made it through the first one - she was _not_ looking forward to doing the same thing the next day.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Potions was a long class. It was a double, which meant they spent four hours there that morning. By the time it was over, they were ready for lunch. Since Snape had been particularly rough on Harry that day, Emilie followed her friend to the Gryffindor table and sat herself down next to him.

"Hey, Nott," a boy said, appearing behind her to the left.

"Nice to see you alive," another one continued, this time behind her to the right.

"But you're in our seat," they said together, crossing their arms as they stared down at her. She looked between the twins, slightly amused.

"Fred and George Weasley," she hummed. "I assume you're referencing the troll incident. Thank you for coming to my aid."

"Yeah, well-,"

"The Boy-Who-Lived started running after a troll-,"

"Not like we could let him go alone, could we?"

Harry huffed at them. "I could've done it!"

"No offense," Emilie shook her head. "But if my curse breaking couldn't save me, I doubt you could've."

"Kind of offended," he muttered.

"How were your holidays?" she asked the three boys, changing the subject suddenly.

"Boring," Fred and George said together.

"Amazing," Harry said. His eyes lit up in excitement. "I got this gift… I'll have to show you later."

Emilie glanced up a bit as another Gryffindor sat down across from them. "Hello, Neville. Feeling better?" Neville had been sent to the infirmary halfway through potions when he'd accidentally tipped his mixing bowl over onto his feet and they'd turned into frog's feet.

"Yeah. Madame Pomfrey said she's seen it a hundred times before," he answered. He gave her a shaky smile. They'd been polite for years at society events, but upon going to school, she'd been kind to him where others had been cruel, just as Harry had.

"We were discussing our holidays," Harry explained. "How was yours, Neville?"

"It was okay," he shrugged. "Gran made me go to a couple society parties. I didn't see you there, Emilie. You usually come with the Malfoys, don't you?"

"I do," she said shortly. She needed to be careful. "We haven't announced it yet, but over break, my father passed away. Uncle Evan didn't feel it was the right time to celebrate Christmas."

"Oh," Neville's eyes widened. "I'm sorry."

"I'll be there next year," she said with a calm smile. Harry was staring at her with wide, sad eyes.

"Are you okay? I'm sorry, I- I know what it's like," he told her. He spoke quietly as if their friends wouldn't be able to hear him.

"Harry, I'm fine," Emilie said. "My father was old and I didn't know him well. Most of my time was spent with Draco's family, or Daphne's, or Blaise and his mum."

"You but not Theo?" he wondered. She paused.

"What?"

"Well, you said _you_ spent most of your time with them," he pointed out. The look on his face suggested he didn't even know the weight of what he was asking. "Where was Theo?"

"That's a good question," George decided.

"Being a twin myself, I know twins are inseparable," Fred added.

Emilie did her best to keep from glaring at them. Her eyes slipped across the room to where she saw her older friends sitting together. Avery was watching her that time, and he didn't bother to hide it. Their eyes met and she took in a deep breath before turning away again, this time more composed. "Theo had lessons with our father. I did not. I had more time with our friends than he did."

"Well, why didn't you?" Harry wondered. Being raised in the muggle world, he truly had no clue what she was referencing, and she knew that. She offered him a patient smile.

"Theo's the Nott heir. He had lessons on running a family that Father didn't bother to give me. I got them from my friends' families instead," she explained to him. "You'd have gotten them, too, Harry."

"Really?" he asked with wide eyes. "Why?"

"Your dad was Lord Potter," Neville provided. "So you'd have been heir."

Emilie nodded. "You still will be by default. Really, you need to start learning these things if you want to save your House when you're of age. It's important."

Harry looked stressed. "But how could I get those lessons if there's no one to teach me?"

Neville and Emilie exchanged a glance before she replied. "We'll teach you. Don't worry, we'll have you caught up in no time if we leave out the blood purity."

"Oh," he said nodding. "Okay. Thanks, guys."

"I can ask Nan for some books," Neville offered. "And find out who your regent is. You should probably meet them."

"It's Dumbledore," Emilie told them. They both looked at her in surprise and she shrugged. "Harry, your family holds a lot of political power. Dumbledore took over when your parents died because there was some issue with the regent your father picked being a werewolf. I think his name was Lupin? I'm not sure. Lord Greengrass was the one that told us about your family. I'll write him and see if I can find out more."

"Dumbledore…" he glanced up at the head table, where Dumbledore was speaking with Madame Pomfrey. "Why didn't he tell me? Why isn't he telling me these things?"

"I can only guess," Emilie admitted. "Don't worry about it for now. We'll do everything we can to help. It's what friends are for."

OoOoOoOoOoOo


	8. Thorns Have Roses

**Chapter Eight**

_I might be strong, I might be weak_

_There might be a part of me that I won't let you keep_

**January 12th, 1992**

The first time Emilie ran into Augustus after the break, she was serving detention for the simple fact that she'd been caught doing magic. Unknown to her, Evan had written Snape and requested the man give Emilie detention if she did magic before she was cleared for it, and Snape had certainly listened.

Snape was not, however, handling the detention he'd given her. Instead, Professor Flitwick took it, since he had a few other students for that night, too. The detention started at five p.m. and the students met in the Great Hall with the orders to polish the candle holders. Materials were left out, and Flitwick sat at the head table grading essays.

Augustus got there ten minutes late, but Emilie didn't notice him coming in. She didn't hear him speaking with Flitwick or gathering his materials. She _did_ notice him taking a seat next to her on the bench she sat. When he sat, she glanced up and stiffened immediately. "Augustus-,"

"You do not truly believe I would be foolish enough to curse you here, do you?" he interrupted her curiously. She glared at him darkly in response. "You look well, Emilie. As if you didn't spend Christmas being tortured. I wonder, is that because you were well healed or because you don't want to show me the pain you're in? How afraid you are?"

Emilie grabbed her brush and polish and went to stand, but he grabbed her wrist tightly and tugged her back into her seat. "Let me go, Augustus. I will scream."

"No need," he assured her. "I'm here to talk. I'm curious to see what you know of your father's will."

She looked at him suspiciously and yanked her wrist out of his grip. "No one knows anything about it. It hasn't been unsealed yet, and neither has Mother's."

Augustus chuckled and leaned in to whisper. "I'll tell you a secret. I know what's in your father's will, and so does my father. Are you ready, Emilie?"

"For what?" she asked him sharply. He smirked at her and brushed hair out of her face, a movement that had her wincing away from him. He didn't answer her, so she shifted a little to scoot away. "Regardless of what his says, my mother's will is to be read as well, and it will hold just as much weight as Father's."

"It will," he agreed. The smirk stayed firm on his lips, an infuriating sight. He was clearly not concerned about Maria Nott's will, which suggested that it wouldn't contain what they hoped it would. "Hm. Do you truly believe it is over, Nott?"

"I think I'm done here," she said, getting to her feet. She'd managed to clear the bench, but before she could walk away, he shot to his feet and moved in front of her. The quick movement gathered the attention of the others close to them, so he leaned in and lowered his voice.

"I'm not done with you yet," he promised. "Neither is Father. We won't stop until we get what we want. Don't be so naive as to think you're safe."

Augustus gathered his things and moved all the way across the hall, leaving her there, shaking. She couldn't help the anxiety clawing its way through her, and she couldn't sit back down again. She walked quickly up to the head table and gathered Flitwick's attention. "Sir, I- um… I'm not feeling well. I think I need to see Madame Pomfrey."

Flitwick looked over her. "Yes, you are a bit pale. Well, go on. I'll let Professor Snape know you left early. Feel better, Miss Nott."

With a sharp nod, Emilie hurried out of the Great Hall. She skipped the infirmary entirely and ran down to Slytherin and into her dorm. Only Millicent Bulstrode was in there, and she glanced at her with a grimace.

"You look awful, Nott," Millicent told her plainly. "Daphne said you had detention."

"I got sick," Emilie mumbled. She crawled into bed and opened the drawer of her bedside table, which held some potions. After grabbing one and drinking it down, she laid back and closed her curtains. Despite the Dreamless Sleep she'd taken, the dark her curtains had provided, and the silence in the dorm, she was unable to fall asleep and only stared at the ceiling quietly, trying to put Augustus's words out of her mind.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

**April 25th, 1992**

Theo resisted the urge to pull at his robes as he walked with his uncle down the empty hall of the Ministry. He'd been pulled from class earlier that day to find Evan waiting in Dumbledore's office for him. It was once they'd left Hogwarts that he'd been given the bad news - the Wizengamot required a new Lord Nott as they had no regent. They had no doubt that Theodore had left them without a regent on purpose to ensure Theo was forced to take on the role in question.

They stopped outside two large doors that had two guards outside of them, and Evan put a hand on his shoulder. "It isn't a full meeting. This is only for you. You're aware of the vows you will be making?"

"Yes," Theo answered. "Father made me memorize them when I was five."

"Of course," Evan glanced at the doors and then back at his nephew. "After you've taken your vows, we'll have to do another ceremony of sorts so you can make me your regent. I want you to know that you can have as much say in what happens to your House as you'd like. We will work together, Theo, do you understand?"

"Yes, Uncle Evan. Can we go in now?"

Evan looked more reluctant than Theo, but he nodded and a guard opened a door for them. Theo had never been _in_ the Wizengamot before, and he found it to be just as obnoxious as he'd guessed. It had rows of seats running across the entire room. There was a large seat on the far wall that Dumbledore sat in, and in the middle of the room, there was a podium that another man stood at with a binder, quill, and ink. There were only a few members of the Wizengamot around the room, all of whom Theo knew.

Lucius Malfoy, Daniel Greengrass, Elora Zabini, and Armando Rookwood.

As they walked into the room, he glanced at his friends' parents. Lucius gave him a firm nod of support while Daniel offered him a smile and Elora just raised an eyebrow. When his eyes slipped to Armando, he saw an unsettling smirk on the man's lips.

The door closed behind them and as Evan led them to a table in front of the podium, Dumbledore got to his feet. "Thank you all for coming. Today, we are here to confirm Theodore Nott Junior as the new Lord Nott following the unfortunate death of Theodore Nott Senior. With him today is Evan Rosier. Lord Rosier, will you be witnessing today?"

"I will be," Evan replied. The man by the podium put up his hand to interrupt.

"It seems they have put in a request to appoint a new regent," the man - Henry Penbrook, it seemed - told Dumbledore. The old man nodded.

"Yes, that would be best, wouldn't it? I assume, Lord Rosier, that you will be the new regent."

"Actually," Armando interrupted, gaining multiple glares. "Before his death, Theodore did put in his will that I shall be regent once his son has taken up Lordship."

Elora scoffed at him. "You know as well as I do that a previous Lord's requests only remain if the current Lord agrees to them."

"Ah, but wills are binding," Armando reminded her. "Until Theodore reaches the age of seventeen, I shall be the Nott regent."

"Absolutely not," Daniel argued. "With the ridiculous and _dangerous_ lengths to which the late Lord Nott went to in ensuring Theo would be able to retain Lordship, he should trust that Theo will run the family well, even if that means appointing Evan as regent. You have no claim to the family at all - Evan is their blood uncle. Through Maria alone, he has a solid claim."

"Regardless, the wills have not yet been unsealed," Lucius added. "As we cannot seem to remove the curses on them. Until the time that the wills have been read, your flimsy claim to the regent title cannot be upheld."

"Lord Rookwood, they are correct," Dumbledore told the man. "Now, if we can continue."

Armando wasn't scowling, but he seemed very much like he wanted to. He sat back in his seat and waved them on silently.

"Wonderful! Mister Nott, Lord Rosier, if you will begin the ceremony."

Evan nodded and grabbed a ring from his pocket. He placed it in the bowl on the table in front of them and then grabbed the dagger that sat on the table. He reached for Theo's hand, and once he had it, he held it over the bowl - over the ring. "Theodore Nott Junior, heir to the House Nott, do you accept your place as Lord Nott?"

"I do," Theo said, cringing inwardly as he did. The last thing he wanted to do was what his father had tried to kill Emilie for, but they knew he had no choice.

"Do you swear to protect the House Nott to the best of your ability for the rest of your life?" Evan continued. That question had Theo hesitating, because he really didn't _want_ to protect the House. He would be more than happy to see it fall. Still, he had to.

"I do."

"Do you swear to appoint an appropriate heir, should one become available?"

"I do."

Evan shifted a little and pressed the blade into Theo's palm, drawing blood. Theo hissed at the sharp pain and watched the blood fall onto the ring. "With this blood you have given to your House, you are now Lord Theodore Nott Junior."

The ring in the bowl flashed brightly as it absorbed all of the blood. Once it had finished, the light faded and left the ring behind, which Evan plucked out of the bowl and handed to Theo. He put it on his left hand ring finger and resisted the urge to sigh at the sight.

"Congratulations, Lord Nott," Dumbledore nodded at Theo with a wink. "Now, if you would do the regent vows, please."

Evan shot Theo a supportive smile. "Alright, Daav, you have to do this. You know the vows I need to take?"

"I think so," Theo replied, trying to remember. It had never been a concern to his father, so he'd learned the vows from Lucius. He glanced at the man hesitantly, and Lucius gave him a firm, supportive nod. He could do it. "Yeah, I've got it."

Evan set down the knife and moved directly in front of his nephew to wait. Theo grabbed his hand and held onto his wrist, and Evan did the same back. When they were in place, Theo spoke again. "Evan Rosier, will you protect House Nott when I am unable to?"

"I will."

"Will you act in the interest of its survival and the interests of its members?"

"I will."

There was something more, Theo was sure of it. Maybe not words, but something magical. Once again, he looked to Lucius. The man tapped his own Lord ring, and Theo relaxed as he understood. He used his free hand to tap his ring, and it lit up again as it rested against Evan's wrist. Evan's ring - the Rosier Lord ring - lit up in acceptance, and then both faded away.

"That's it," Theo said much more confidently than he felt. He knew many regent vows were much more in depth than the ones he'd said, but he hadn't had much time to think it through, and he trusted his uncle completely. Even if he didn't, he wasn't all that concerned about his House.

"Congratulations!" Dumbledore said again. "That's all for today - you're free to go."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

**June 4th, 1992**

"The trick with any beast is to know how to calm him," Hagrid was saying to Harry, Emilie, and Ron as he waved his flute at them. "Take Fluffy for example - just play him a bit of music, and he falls straight to sleep."

Harry gasped and looked to his friends, and Emilie stepped on his foot hard. Hagrid didn't need to know that he'd shared something so important.

"I shouldn't have told you that," Hagrid worried immediately.

"It's okay, Hagrid," Emilie assured him quickly. "We'd be fools to try to get in there. Have a nice day."

Hagrid looked relatively relieved as the trio made their way back to the castle together. Once they were out of Hagrid's line of sight, they took off sprinting through the halls.

"Where are we going?" Emilie asked them, slowing down. The two Gryffindors looked at her like she was crazy.

"To see Dumbledore, of course," Ron told her. She crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head.

"Dumbledore's out of the castle. Uncle Evan said they've got an extra Wizengamot meeting today," she explained. "We should tell Professor Snape."

"But he hates us!" Harry argued. "Maybe you don't think he's trying to steal the stone-,"

"He's not-,"

"-but we do."

Emilie tapped her foot thoughtfully. "Fine. You go tell Professor McGonagall and I'll tell my friends. I'll meet you on the third floor when I'm done."

"Whatever," Ron said. He tugged on Harry's arm and pulled him down the hall. Left alone, Emilie raced through the castle to find her Head of House. She didn't have to go too far, it turned out, because she bumped into him turning a corner.

"Oh, Professor!" she gasped, backing up. "I was just coming to find you."

Snape looked at her, irritated. "Yes?"

Emilie took a moment to gather herself. She adjusted her sweater and pushed her hair out of the way as she regained her composure. "In the interest of time, I will just say that I believe Professor Quirrell is going to try and steal the Philosopher's Stone, and I believe he knows how to get down there."

Snape tensed. "Who else knows about this?"

"Harry Potter and Ron Weasley," she said.

"I will handle this. Please return to your dormitory."

Emilie nodded and watched him walk away. Once he was gone, she slipped toward the stairs and made her way to the third floor. When she got there, she found Harry and Ron waiting impatiently. "Okay, let's talk about this."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Evan ran into the infirmary with Minerva on his heels. He spotted Emilie instantly - she was in the third bed from the door on the left. She was awake and being tended to by Poppy, who looked very stern.

"-brace cannot be used for-,"

"I just thought I'd save you the trouble-,"

"Healing is my job, Miss Nott," Poppy said firmly. "Next time, you will come straight to me."

"Yes, Madame Pomfrey."

Evan came to sit on the edge of Emilie's bed. He looked her over closely and found that she didn't _look_ all that hurt. "Avi, what did you do?"

Emilie didn't answer him. She grabbed his hand and leaned over to rest her head on his shoulder. She was clearly tense, and he'd seen that mood before. Often when she was scolded, she got quiet and tense, and he knew it was because of the way her father would've reacted if she hadn't been quiet.

"Em," he wrapped an arm around her as Poppy walked away. Minerva was by another boy's bed with Dumbledore, speaking quietly. "I need to know what happened. How're you hurt?"

Reluctantly, she spoke. "I broke my elbow and got some bruises. I'm fine."

"Okay," he said slowly. He did see a spell wrapped around her left elbow that meant it was waiting to be healed. "How did that happen?"

"A giant wizard's chessboard."

"A _what_?" he blinked down at her. Looking her over again, he saw the dust on her clothes, plus how her skirt had ripped slightly and her hair was messy. "Avi-,"

"I tried talking them out of it," she promised. She sounded slightly scared, so he rubbed her uninjured arm quietly as she spoke. "I _tried_, Uncle Evan. Ron just refused to listen to me, and when I told them I'd spoken with Professor Snape, they got mad and went in anyway, so I followed them to try again, but we had to go down there because Fluffy woke up, and then there was Devil's Snare that they _clearly_ didn't know how to get through. We barely made it past the keys, and then there was the chessboard, and Ron and I argued about it but I got to the knight before he did because there's no way I'd trust him to- and we won, but I fell when the knight was destroyed and got hurt. I'm sorry. I never meant to go down there with them. We were supposed to wait for Professor Snape, but they don't trust him and-,"

"Emilie, listen to me," he said gently, interrupting her. She cut off and avoided his gaze. "Em, come on, look at me. You're not in trouble - not with me. I'm just glad you're okay. Clearly there's been some things going on here that you haven't told me about, huh?"

Emilie gave a light shrug. She still wasn't looking at him but rather at the boy in the bed next to her. "I wasn't much involved. There's been a lot going on. Before Christmas, I told Harry to check the restricted section if he could get permission, but then Father… and then Norbert happened and we got that detention with the spirit, which I _was_ going to tell you about, but the next day, Theo had to become Lord and… it didn't seem important. I wasn't trying to get in trouble. I just wanted Harry to be safe."

"I'd be glad to hear about all of it, but I need you to know that you're not in trouble. Do you believe me?" he asked her. She didn't reply, so he sighed and lowered his voice. "Em, I am not your father. I care about you and your health and safety. I'm upset that you were in danger, but not upset with _you_. It is a discussion I will be having with Dumbledore. You're safe with me, Avi."

Emilie looked at him hesitantly. She saw the concern in his eyes and tried to combine that with the reaction she would've expected from her father. They definitely didn't fit together. "Okay."

He gave her a small smile. "Now, what was this Madame Pomfrey was saying about not going to see her?"

Emilie blushed and glanced toward the mediwitch's office. "After we got out of there, I didn't want them to know I… I don't know. I was just scared they'd find out, so I went back to Slytherin to get the brace I used after the troll, and Thor found me."

Evan's eyebrows raised. "He did, did he?"

"We fought a little," she admitted. "I didn't want to… he told me I was being ridiculous and dragged me up here. He didn't leave until Madame Pomfrey promised she wouldn't let me escape, which I think was a bit dramatic of him."

"Huh," Evan nodded, making a mental note to thank Rowle. He set that aside for later and moved once more to what he was concerned about. "Emilie, he's right. You will not get in trouble for being hurt anymore. What your father did was not right. You should feel safe coming to adults for help, especially when you are injured."

"I just thought…"

"I know. But do you see what happened? You are being professionally healed, and I'm here to tell you that you'll be okay. I am not here to yell at or punish you. They called me because they knew I would want to see you safe with my own two eyes. Do you understand?"

"I guess so," she said doubtfully. He resisted the urge to sigh in disappointment. It would take time to repair the damage her father had done, probably years. He could be patient. He had to be.

Emilie looked over at the bed next to her again. At some point, the boy had woken and spoken to Dumbledore, but the old wizard was making his way out of the room. Her eyes widened at the sight of him up and alone. "Harry! Oh, thank Circe."

"Hey, Em," he waved at her. He glanced at her arm and grimaced. "Are you okay? You're not hurt bad are you?"

She shook her head quickly. "Just a broken arm. I'll be fine. This is Uncle Evan. Uncle Evan, this is Harry Potter."

Evan nodded at Harry. "Quite the adventure you've gone on with my niece today. I trust you're feeling well?"

Harry nodded and got out of his bed. He looked a bit pale but otherwise steady. He came to sit in the chair on Emilie's right and offered her a chocolate frog, which she shook her head at. "I'm alright, sir, thanks."

Emilie narrowed her eyes at her friend suddenly. "Harry."

"Yeah?"

"I _told you_ it wasn't Snape."

Harry blushed and gave her an embarrassed smile. "Yeah, you did. I just thought-,"

"Because he doesn't like you, he's evil," Emilie summed up. "I know what you thought."

"But if he isn't evil, why does he hate me?" Harry wondered. He looked frustrated as he considered the idea.

"Severus Snape, hm?" Evan looked at the boy. "Well, I may have an answer for you. I went to school with that professor of yours, as well as your parents."

"You _did_?" Harry's eyes widened. "Were you friends with them?"

Evan cleared his throat. "Ah, no. We had very different groups of friends. It was no secret, however, the hatred between Snape and your father, Mister Potter. I'm a few years older than them, but I do remember hearing Snape complain quite regularly to Black about your father. As far as I am aware, the school rivalry never abated."

"Black," Emilie repeated, confused. "Uncle, there were a lot of Blacks back then."

"Regulus Black," he clarified. "Regulus also despised Harry's father and friends for the simple fact of his own sibling rivalry."

"But I'm not my dad," Harry argued. "So why should he hate me?"

Evan shook his head. "I can only assume it has to do with your father. Snape and I were in the same… group, but we never much interacted."

Emilie knew her uncle was simply reluctant to tell Harry that he'd been a Death Eater. She couldn't really blame him. They'd only ever discussed it once before, when Evan had told her and Theo that he greatly regretted his place in the war. "Uncle, I told Harry I'd help him get in touch with his old regent. I can't remember who it was, though."

Evan thought for a moment before he frowned slightly.. "Remus Lupin. A good friend of your father's, Mister Potter. Daniel may be best to track him down if you really want to."

"I wrote him a couple of days ago," Emilie admitted. "I knew Lord Greengrass knew more about the Potters, anyway."

"Well," he pressed a kiss to her forehead and got to his feet. "I'm going to speak with Madame Pomfrey and then go find Dumbledore again. I'll come back when I'm done, so stay here, Avi."

Emilie nodded quietly and watched as he walked away. Once he was gone, she let out a sigh. Maybe Thorfinn _had_ been right. It was slightly irritating for the simple fact that he'd most certainly shove it in her face, were the subject not about her being injured.

"What's Avi mean?" Harry wondered. Emilie blinked.

"It means 'air'," she told him before changing the subject. "I'll write to you this summer and let you know what I know. Maybe you could come visit, too."

"Maybe," Harry said hopefully. "So… what happened to Ron? Where is he?"

"He came to see you, but we started arguing and he left," she scrunched up her nose. "Honestly, I just do not understand why he insists upon being so awful."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

**June 28th, 1992**

School ended with no other surprises. The train ride was a long one, and upon getting to King's Cross, the kids had all gone to Greengrass Manor to celebrate the end of the year with their parents. When they got there, Daphne split off from them immediately to find Astoria, and the other kids made themselves comfortable.

"Look, Em," Blaise called. She glanced over in time to see Theo's knight be destroyed and scowled.

"I don't know why I even told you," she muttered as she read over the letter she was writing. It looked good, but she needed it to be perfect.

_Dear Mr. Remus Lupin,_

_My name is Emilie Nott. I've just finished my first year at Hogwarts, and I've been trying to find and get in contact with you for a few months now to discuss someone you may be interested in - my friend Harry Potter. _

_I was hoping we could meet to discuss him, his family, and his House. I will be staying in Greengrass Manor for the next week and a half, and I would appreciate it if you came by so we could speak._

_I understand the Potters and Notts are very different families, but I want to assure you that my brother and I are nothing like our Father was. We want to see Harry make more connections to people that care for him, and our best guess is that's you. _

_Regards, _

_Emilie_.

It wasn't long, but it would have to be good enough. When she turned back, she found Draco staring at her. "_What_?"

"Did you just invite a man you don't even know to Greengrass Manor?" he asked her in shock. She rolled her eyes and Theo answered for her.

"I asked Lady Greengrass an hour ago," he said. "Stop reading other peoples' letters."

Emilie was perfectly happy letting Theo handle Draco for her, so she grabbed another piece of parchment and began writing again.

_Thor,_

_I did __not__ say you were right as you suggested on the train. Uncle Evan did. He does not speak for me. I still think it was incredibly rude of you to drag me through the castle like that. That being said, I suppose I cannot regret that Madame Pomfrey healed me. _

_That's not a thank you, though. _

_Isn't Theresa going to be in her first year with Astoria next year? Are you ready to have an actual sibling to look after instead of me? I assume Uncle Evan has told you that you can ease up on watching me obsessively. If not, then I am. _

_Oh, I thought to mention that as I was packing my things before we left Hogwarts, I found that dagger in the bottom of my trunk. I had totally forgotten about it. Now that I'm out of danger, I'd really like to return it wherever you'd taken me that night. I don't even know how to handle daggers._

_Hoping you have a nice summer,_

_Em._

"_Dagger_?" Draco said, tearing the letter from her hands.

"Draco!"

"You stole a fucking dagger from someone?"

Theo's head shot up. "Em?"

Emilie crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Draco. "Stop reading over my shoulder, you twat. It's not a big deal."

"Stealing a dagger is not a _small_ deal," Draco scoffed at her in disbelief. "Why would you even do that?"

Theo narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Who's she writing to?"

"Rowle."

He tipped his head back and sighed. "This has to do with those blood wards, doesn't it?"

"_What_?" Blaise asked in shock. "Blood wards?"

"Yes, it does," she confirmed. "After it was over, they took some stuff and told me to take the dagger."

"Why?" Blaise wondered.

"To stab anyone that wants to hurt me," she said, nearly directly quoting Thorfinn. "Now that Father's dead, I want to send it back. It's imbued with dark magic, I can feel it. I don't feel like finding out what _sort_ of dark magic."

"You're bloody insane," Draco accused. She made a face at him and grabbed the letter back. She rolled up the parchment and then moved over to give both letters to the owl at the window, Claude. Once it had flown away, she turned around.

"Now, if you're done being an arse, I'm going to go find Daphne and Story."

She left the room and Draco made a face at the door as it closed with a loud thud. "Well, she's sensitive."

"Shut up," Theo tossed a rook at him.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

**June 30th, 1992**

_Sweetheart,_

_You're very welcome, of course. I couldn't see you wandering the castle in pain, could I? _

_Tree will be coming to Hogwarts. I am not prepared to have the brat bugging me, no. As for you, nice try, but Evan has said nothing about leaving you alone. Even if he had, you're far too jeopardy friendly and I, for one, have no wish to see how you would get yourself hurt next year, too. _

_Besides, you would miss my beautiful face, should I stop watching you. You know you would. _

_I want you to keep that dagger, Sweetheart. If you cannot figure out how to pick it up and stab someone, I suggest asking Evan to help you learn to handle it. He is already aware you have obtained a dagger, but not how. Keep that part between us, yeah? _

_Mother has requested I invite you, Theo, and your uncle to the first of my father's yearly cookouts. It's a muggle concept he came upon in America, and surprisingly enjoyable. It will be July 5th in Bradbury Park. I expect to see you there. _

_Your favorite Slytherin,_

_Thor_

Emilie shook her head at the letter and set it down. Even through letters, he could be extremely irritating. She'd almost forgotten, being in the same castle for nine months. She made a mental note to show it to her uncle later and moved onto the next letter.

_Miss Nott,_

_I appreciate your letter. I was surprised to get it, as I have been completely unable to contact Harry for years now. _

_I did receive a similar letter from Emma Greengrass, as well. I've written her back, and it seems I will be coming to visit tomorrow, June 30th at two p.m. _

_Thank you again for reaching out. _

_Sincerely, _

_Remus J Lupin_

Emilie's eyes shot to the clock on the wall and she gasped. It was already 1:45. She tossed the letter on the bed and hurried over to the dresser to change into something more appropriate for guests. It took her nearly ten minutes to find something, change, and brush her hair. By the time she got down to the floo room, she heard it chiming. She opened the door and walked in to see a tall man brushing soot off his coat. "Mister Lupin."

He looked up in surprise and offered her a kind smile that was marred by scars running from the top of his nose, down his cheek and ended at his throat as if he'd been mauled by an animal. He had wavy, sandy hair and his robes were somewhat worn. "Miss Nott, I presume."

Emilie gave a small curtsy. "Thank you for coming. I just got your letter. Would you like tea?"

"Please," he smiled kindly. She led him out of the floo room and down the halls toward the kitchen, where she found Theo, Evan, and Lord Greengrass. Lupin's smile froze slightly at the sight of Evan. "Lord Rosier."

Evan's own smile was somewhat stiff, and Emilie suddenly wondered if he knew Lupin more than he'd said. "Lupin. You look well. Thank you for coming - Em has been very concerned about finding you."

Lupin nodded and sat at the table by Lord Greengrass, whose hand he shook. "Daniel, it's been a while."

"It has," Daniel agreed. "Last I heard, you worked at an apothecary in Barcelona."

Remus blinked a bit. "Yes, that was a beautiful place. I left a few years ago. Didn't quite have the nose for it, unfortunately."

Emilie came to sit between Evan and Theo and gained his attention again. "This is my brother, Theo."

Remus seemed to be surprised to find that they were twins, but he said hello to the boy without missing a beat.

"Mr Lupin, I think Emilie told you, but we wanted you here because Harry's a good friend of ours," Theo told him. "And he knows nothing about his family, his House, or anything, really, that we haven't told him."

"And we're aware you were meant to be the Potter regent," Emilie continued. "But Dumbledore took the role. Why is that? He's not handling the House correctly, anyone can tell as much. The Potters weren't light dwellers, but that's where he's firmly put _all_ of their political power."

Lupin seemed to carefully consider his words. "Albus is a great man."

"But?" Daniel asked gently.

"But he did nothing to block Umbridge's discriminatory claims that I was unfit to perform my duties as regent," he continued. "And I was relieved of the position. Albus took it up himself."

The twins exchanged a glance and Theo spoke. "Why haven't you gotten in contact with Harry?"

"I'm unable," Lupin told them regretfully. "I have tried numerous times. I even tried taking the bus to his aunt's house, but upon getting there, I become confused and leave."

Emilie's eyes lit up. "I know those wards! Oh, they're simple to remove. If you can get me there, I can-,"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Avi," Evan put his hand on hers to slow her down. "I don't want you messing with more unknown wards."

Emilie deflated a little. "I was bribed, Uncle. It's not my fault. I don't even know where we were. This time, I would."

Theo blinked at her. "Em, not knowing where you were doesn't _help_ you. It just means they tricked you well. How'd you even get there if you didn't know where you were?"

She shrugged a little. "They took me through a passageway and when we came out, we were in this house and Greyback gave us a portkey."

Every adult at the table stiffened, but it was Evan that spoke to her somewhat sharply.

"Emilie Rose, you should have told me!" he exclaimed, his face paling a bit. "How could they be so irresponsible to take you near him? They are smarter than that!"

She shifted uncomfortably. Evan was mad, and she couldn't tell who at. "Uncle, Thor kept me behind him. Greyback never spoke to me or even saw me."

"Why on earth were you…" Lupin trailed off. "Greyback is the most vicious and dangerous person I've ever met, Emilie, why would you go near him?"

"Well, it's like I said," she crossed her arms over her chest. "I was tired and Avery and Thor bribed me into helping them. They took me there, Greyback gave us the ribbon, and we left. By the time we got back, he was gone. Nothing happened."

Daniel sighed at her. "Em, you don't understand. Greyback is well known for changing children, and all he needs is a whiff of them to be able to find them again. I understand you trust Avery and Rowle, but they put you in significant danger."

"We will discuss this later," Evan told her before turning back to Lupin. "I apologize. We should be able to get you in contact with Harry, however."

"I would appreciate that," Lupin said, clearly distracted now. "You know, after… Sirius and Alice and Frank, I was to be his guardian. When Albus ensured I was unable to be the Potter regent, he also helped put through a bill that stopped me from taking custody."

Emilie blinked in surprise. "I didn't know his parents even gave him godparents at all."

Lupin smiled sadly. "James and Lily prepared well for their deaths. They had a long line of guardians prepared. After myself was… Andromeda, I believe. The one stipulation of who he _shouldn't_ go to was Lily's sister, Petunia."

"And that's where he went," Theo made a face. "Did anyone ever even read their wills?"

"I don't believe so," Daniel said thoughtfully. "Wills are hard enough to properly read in the Sacred Twenty-Eight at any normal time. During war-,"

"I can't imagine," Emilie muttered. "It's been _months_ and we still can't read Father and Mother's."

Evan nodded, glancing at Lupin. "If we can get those wills unsealed, you may be able to gain custody of him now."

Lupin looked unbearably sad at the idea. "Not with my condition. It's illegal."

Daniel scoffed. "No, it isn't. I worked pretty damn hard to get that bill thrown out. As you said, it's discriminatory and dehumanizing."

"And what if he's happy where he is?" Lupin replied. "I could never remove him from a happy home for my own sake."

"But he's _not_," Emilie spoke up. "Harry's- he isn't. He knows too much about an… abusive home to not live in one. It's a large part of why I wrote to you."

Lupin eyed her suspiciously. "How do you know that?"

"I think the first step should be removing those wards so you can see him," she ignored his question. "See for yourself that he isn't happy there. Then we can work on the legal stuff."

Evan frowned at her tiredly. "Em, I don't want you messing with more wards again. They can be really dangerous."

Theo looked between his sister and uncle. "Uncle Evan, she dismantled blood wards in two hours and came back tired. I think she can handle whatever is around Harry's house."

Evan stared at his niece. "Under two conditions - I watch everything you do, and you stop the second things get dangerous. Understand?"

"Yes!" she grinned at him. She coughed a little and calmed herself until she was just smiling. "Yes. Thank you."

He gave a firm nod. "We can do it a week from today. Lupin, I'll walk you out."

Lupin got to his feet and followed Evan back to the floo. He didn't get in, though. He looked at Evan critically, instead. "Emilie said something, Rosier. They live with you?"

Evan gave a short nod. "I am their guardian."

"Do you treat them well?" he asked bluntly. Evan stiffened slightly, but Lupin was unapologetic. "She said Harry knows too much about an abusive household, suggesting she does as well."

"_I_ am not the problem," Evan said shortly. "They are safe with me."

Lupin still didn't seem to believe him. "No offense, Rosier, but you're certainly not the gentlest of souls by far."

Evan stepped forward, nearly glaring at him. His voice was low, and he was _angry_. "Emilie and Theo are safe with me. Do not pretend this is about anything but our past issues. For the sake of my niece and nephew and their friend, I sincerely hope you can move on, or at the very least, pretend to. Now, if you are done suggesting I've abused Maria's kids, you are free to leave. We will get in touch next week."

Lupin was tense as he grabbed some floo powder and left. Once he was gone, Evan took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, not noticing Emilie and Theo hurrying away from the door together.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

**A/N: **

**Hi! Quick note. Thorfinn's sister is named Theresa, and nicknamed Tree. The reason for that is that I have an Aunt Theresa who we call Aunt Tree because she's super tall and it's a joke from my mom and their friends. She absolutely does not like the nickname, and neither will Thorfinn's sister. **

**Please review and let me know what you think and I hope you enjoyed! **


	9. Real Ones

**Chapter Nine**

_I will shield you from the waves_

_If they find you, I will protect you_

**July 5th, 1992**

While Emilie and Theo were able to go to Bradbury park that day, Evan was not. Working in the DOM, he had a somewhat unpredictable schedule. He'd been called in the night before and hadn't been able to come home. Emma had taken them to the park instead and was quickly invited to stay as well.

"There you are!" Lady Rowle smiled at the kids. "Oh, you've both grown since I've last seen you. When was that?"

"Two years ago, Lady Rowle," Theo answered her. The woman nodded firmly.

"Yes, I suppose it has been two years. We'd be at the parties more, of course, but seeing the world is far too irresistible to come home for a stuffy party. Now, why don't you kids go find Thorfinn? He's around here somewhere."

They slipped away, sharing an identical grin. Lady Rowle was one of the more eccentric spirits in pureblood society, certainly out of place amongst the stuffy blood purists. Her husband was just as eccentric, which was obvious in the way he often experimented with muggle culture - like having a typical American cookout in a muggle park with pureblood friends attending.

There weren't as many people attending as the twins had guessed. It seemed to be, for the most part, family and close friends. That fact alone left them both confused, and as they looked around for Throfinn, Emilie made a face. "It's weird."

Theo shrugged slightly. "Maybe you're wrong about how close you are."

She rolled her eyes. "Theo, I'm just an annoying kid Uncle Evan asked him to watch. It's basically his job."

"I assume you haven't bothered to question him about this."

"He's extremely irritating when I even _suggest_ that I care for him," she defended. "I couldn't bare it, Theo. He'd never let it go."

"I wouldn't say _never_," Thorfinn said from behind them, startling the twins. When they spun around, they found him smirking. He had his hands behind his back and seemed to be laughing at Emilie. "Perhaps after a few days. To answer your question, sweetheart, you are not an annoying kid. You're a year younger than me, for one, so not much of a kid compared to me. Your company is not horrible, either."

"That is to say, you _are_ wrong," Theo laughed at his sister. "Maybe you're more irritated with Uncle Evan for asking them to watch you than they are."

Emilie crossed her arms over her chest, irritated. Unfortunately, Thorfinn only seemed to find that more amusing. "That's _his_ opinion. Avery might think I'm extremely irritating, and that's fine."

"Is there a reason you want us to think that?" Thorfinn asked curiously. He began walking, so they moved with him toward a few picnic tables that held some snacks and people. "Trying to get rid of us, huh?"

"Well, no," she said slowly. "But like I said in my letter, it's over now. Father's dead, so you guys don't have to worry about me anymore. You can move on."

"Sounds like you are trying to get rid of us, pet," Avery said, coming to join them. She looked at him in surprise.

"I didn't realize you were here."

Throfinn looked at her with a laugh. "Mother said to invite close friends, Nott. Dolohov is here, too."

Theo was shaking his head. "Em is just tired of feeling like you only care about her because of Father, so she's telling you to go away. Wonderful coping mechanism."

"Theo! That's not-," she huffed and tilted her chin up slightly. "This is not appropriate or cheery conversation."

"Oh, there's Neville," Theo said, slipping out of her reach. "Bye!"

Emilie narrowed her eyes at him as he very pointedly abandoned her for Neville, who stood with Lady Longbottom by the grills, talking with Lord Bulstrode. "Prat."

"Mm, it would be quite rude to excuse yourself now," Thorfinn grinned at her. She sat down on a bench with a huff, and they placed themselves on either side of her. Thorfinn bumped her shoulder with his own. "Prepare yourself for many of these parties, sweetheart. Mother is beyond thrilled that you can come now."

"_Why_?" she wondered.

"Thor doesn't make friends easily," Avery answered for his friend, ignoring the glare he got. "Much less friends that are girls. Lady Rowle is under the impression-,"

Emilie grimaced. "Ew."

Thorfinn snorted. "Yes, I fully agree. Nevertheless, I have been instructed to invite you to every one of these we hold. So far, Mother has planned five of them just until we go back to school. She also wants you to befriend Tree."

Emilie blinked at him, lost. "Thor, your sister doesn't- she sort of hates me."

"I have tried telling her, but she refuses to accept that the little devil has the _ability_ to hate anyone," he shook his head. "She is under the impression that your brother might be a good match for her."

She looked over at Theo, who was talking with Neville. He looked to be having a good time, and she shook her head. "If she doesn't like me, he won't like her."

"Twins," Avery glanced at Thorfinn. "Is your mother aware that they're essentially one being?"

"If we tell her, she'll just love them more," Thorfinn warned, earning a laugh from Emilie. "So, sweetheart, any good plans?"

"Mm," she hummed, still looking out at the guests. "On Monday, I get to go dismantle the wards around Harry's house so Lupin can meet him. Then, we get to work on getting Lupin custody, and helping them get control of the House Potter again."

"Yeah, kid things," Thorfinn snorted.

"And I can't figure out why, but Uncle Evan has been really… _tense_ since seeing Lupin."

Avery tilted his head. "He would be, I suppose. They aren't exactly fond of one another."

"Why?" she asked. "Theo and I overheard them talking, and… I don't know. Lupin suggested Uncle Evan was abusing us, and Uncle Evan said something about their… issues. What are they?"

"I couldn't say," he admitted. "I only know that your grandfather got Lupin's father fired. Why that issue would become their problem, I don't know."

"Ask him," Thorfinn suggested. "For _now_, sweetheart, try to relax for once."

"I _am_ relaxed!"

"Clearly," Avery raised an eyebrow at her. She blushed slightly.

"Okay, fine. How would you suggest I relax?"

Thorfinn grinned. "I know just the thing. Have you ever heard of Cornhole?"

OoOoOoOoOoOo

**July 7th, 1992**

That morning was a long one. Lupin had arrived at ten and was forced to wait as Theo and Emilie had been dragged to the Ministry for an hour and a half under claims that the wills had finally been opened.

They hadn't been.

By the time they got back, everyone was frustrated. Emilie tossed her outer robes down on the bed angrily and started to rummage through the dresser for muggle clothes. As she did so, she was mumbling to herself in frustration. "-incompetent! Absolutely ridiculous, we'll be _adults_ before they've done it…"

"Done what?"

Emilie gasped and spun around to find Lupin standing in the hall, confused. She hadn't realized she'd left her door open, either. "It's quite rude to spy on a girl, you know."

"No spying," he assured her with a slight chuckle. "I was walking past and heard you. Is everything alright?"

She couldn't be irritated with him. Not only was it not his fault, but he actually had quite the calming energy. She spoke as she reached into her dresser again and finally pulled out a tank top to wear. "My Father died on Christmas."

"I'm so sorry," he said quietly. She rolled her eyes at herself and shook her head.

"You wouldn't be if you'd known him. It's a relief. Issue is, we can't get his will open. It's sealed with some sort of magic that _five_ curse breakers can't get off. I offered to try and Uncle Evan threatened to ground me for the very thought just because Father knew some dangerous curses. I think that's ridiculous because Father wouldn't want his will kept sealed, he'd want Theo to go to Rookwood immediately. Something's going on and no one is listening to me except for Thor, and it's not like _he_ can do anything about it except tell me not to look a gift Hippogriff in the beak. Even if he could, Uncle Evan is _still_ angry with him."

Lupin nodded thoughtfully and stepped into the doorframe. Emilie was flushed with frustration, and he could tell she'd been considering the issue for a while. "And you want the will unsealed? Even though you wouldn't stay with your uncle?"

Emilie deflated slightly. "No. No, I- I don't know. I don't _want_ them unsealed. I don't want to leave Uncle Evan at all. He's the only adult aside from my mum that's tried to protect me from Father my entire life. It's just… Augustus."

"Augustus is…?"

"Augustus Rookwood," she explained. "He's- we- it's complicated. He's hurt me, and he's mad at me, I think. I don't know. After Christmas break, the first time I saw him again, he-," she cut off and shook her head to herself. "I don't know why I'm telling you this. We should be focused on Harry."

"She doesn't like talking about him," Theo said from behind Lupin. He stepped past the man and helped her put away her robes while she slipped into the bathroom to change. "Augustus is dangerous. He suggested things about Father's will that we aren't going to like. Em says he knows what's in there somehow."

"He does," she called from the bathroom. She came out a moment later in shorts and her tank top, and she sat on the bed to put on sneakers. "Augustus knows something, Theo. He's taunting me, he has been ever since Father- what I mean to say is, I think we're right. As soon as the will is opened, we'll go to Lord Rookwood. Or rather, you will. I might not even be in there. Father was far too confident in himself."

Theo shifted slightly, more than aware of Lupin's presence. "Avery got that memory, didn't he? If we're sent to Rookwood, he can just give that over and it'll be fine. We can talk about it later, but we should get going."

Emilie nodded and got to her feet again. "Yeah, you're right. Are you ready to see Harry, Mr Lupin?"

"Please, call me Remus," he requested with a smile. "I am."

They made their way downstairs together and when they got to the floo room, they found Evan there, waiting impatiently. "Daniel was made aware of a squib in the neighborhood. Luckily, she's an old friend of his, so we'll be using her floo."

Quickly, they all made their way through the floo to a house that had _way_ too many Kneazles. While Evan spoke with the woman - Arabella Figg - Emilie, Theo, and Remus made their way outside. The house right next door was Harry's, but as they approached it, only Remus got the urge to walk away.

"Theo, watch him," Emilie requested. "Mr Lupin- er, Remus, can you put up a muggle repelling charm?"

Remus did so, though he seemed extremely distracted. Theo decided it'd be best to take Remus to the nearby park, which was still within eyesight. When they got there, the urge to leave seemed to wear off.

Emilie, content in being covered, put up her hands to feel for the wards. She could feel them on the property line and reached out next with her magic. When it touched the wards, she hissed and pulled back.

Blood wards. _Again_.

Scowling at them, she began slowly taking them apart. It was difficult, just as last time. She wasn't sure how long she'd been working when Harry walked toward her from the gate to the backyard. When he saw her, his eyes lit up and he ran over. "Em! What're you-,"

"Here, you can help," she said, pulling him to her side. "I'm trying to take down these wards. They're here to protect you, so if you give me a couple drops of your blood, I can take them down in minutes rather than hours."

"Uh," he blinked as she took his hand. She used her hand - because wandless magic wasn't tracked by the Ministry - to cut his palm very slightly and then levitate the blood into the wards. When they touched, she was surprised to find the wards fall altogether without any other intervention.

"Oh," she frowned. "Well, the only type of blood ward that would do _that_ is- oh. Oh… um, Harry, would you like to meet Remus?"

Harry looked completely lost. "Who? What's wrong? What was that magic? You really shouldn't be here, my aunt and uncle will be home in an hour."

"Don't worry about the magic. It wasn't important," she lied. It most certainly _was_ important, but she couldn't very well tell him she'd destroyed the last protection his mother had given him. She supposed it accounted for how he'd been protected from Voldemort's shade, too. She glanced to the side to see not only Evan leaving Figg's house and walking over, but Theo and Remus leaving the park, too.

"Em," Evan said as he reached her side. His hand fell on her back and he offered Harry a smile. "Are you done already?"

"Yeah," she confirmed.

"But _what_ did you do?" Harry pressed. "My hand hurts."

"Your-," Evan glanced at his hand and tensed at the sight of the blood. "Emilie Rose Nott, tell me right now that you did not remove blood wards."

Emilie winced. "Um, I would, but Lady Malfoy told me not to lie if I can't lie well, and I can't, so…"

"We will discuss this when we get home," he told her sternly.

"Harry."

The boy in question looked past Emilie to find Theo and a tall man coming to meet the small group. The man was looking at him with a sad smile. "Hullo."

Theo clapped Harry's shoulder with a smile. "This is Remus Lupin. He was supposed to be your regent, and he was one of your apparently numerous godparents."

Evan glanced at the house. "Arabella claims that Dumbledore monitors the wards here very regularly. I would suggest, Harry, that you grab your things and we go before he gets here."

"I don't understand," Harry said finally, looking to his friends. "Where am I going?"

Theo started walking toward the house. With nothing else to do, Harry followed him quickly and led them through the back. "Harry, you're not treated well here. We said we'd get you in contact with someone that knew your family well. It turns out, he can get you out of here."

Emilie nodded along as they took the stairs to a bedroom down the hall. "Yeah, and if I'm right about your wards, uh, there's no… no reason to keep you here anymore. I doubt there'll be much pushback in moving you anymore."

Harry was shoving things in his trunk while Theo let Hedwig out of her cage with orders to go to Greengrass Manor. "Well, couldn't they just put it back up?"

"Not these," she disagreed. "These were… different. I didn't know. Regardless, it's done now and Remus is nice."

It didn't take him long to gather his things. They all fit in his trunk, and the twins carried it down the stairs again while Harry carried Hedwig's cage. Evan waved them back over to Figg's house, much to Harry's confusion. "We'd appreciate it if you didn't tell Dumbledore about this just yet, Arabella. We want to get him settled before the old man knows where he is."

"Yes, of course," Arabella agreed. "Just make sure he's happy. Now go on, he'll be coming soon."

After they'd gotten back to Greengrass Manor, Remus and Harry went to the kitchen to talk while the twins took his things to a spare room and Evan followed. Once they'd set his things down, they turned to find Evan looking at Emilie, displeased. "Avi, I said that you stop the second things get dangerous. Being blood wards, they were immediately dangerous. Not only that, but you didn't bother waiting for me. You directly disobeyed me. Do you understand that those conditions were put in place to protect _you_?"

"Uncle, they weren't just blood wards," she said quietly. "They were sacrificial blood wards. Wards that have multiple conditions and if those are upheld, can only be removed when the person they're protecting _wants_ them to be removed. I wasn't really in much danger. Once Harry's blood hit the wards, they dropped immediately."

"Who was sacrificed?" Theo asked, horrified. "Who set them up?"

"They were around his mother's sister's house," Evan frowned at them. "I would guess his mother was sacrificed. But by whom?"

Emilie shrugged. "From everything we've learned about the Potters, I'd guess either James did it or she sacrificed herself. I'd love to know what ritual was used…"

Evan shook himself and pinned her with a stare. "All the same, Emilie, you should not have touched them once you knew they were blood wards. You're grounded."

"I'm… grounded," she repeated in shock. "I'm _grounded_? Like… grounded."

"Yes, grounded," he nodded firmly. "You will return home with me tonight."

"Uncle, no!" she exclaimed with wide eyes. "Harry will stay here tonight, and he's bound to be lost and- and need friends. Please, you can't make me go home while he tries to adjust. Ground me tomorrow."

Evan was frowning now, but he did see her point. "_If_ I allow you to stay, I will be taking your wand with me, and I will pick you up after breakfast. Theo, you can stay here, if you'd like."

Emilie resisted the urge to scowl. She looked to her brother, defeated. "You should stay."

"Well, I suppose it depends," Theo looked up at Evan. "How long is she grounded for?"

"A week. And no more curse breaking until I can teach you _both_ more about darker curses," he insisted. "Your father was a talented curse breaker, but I am certain there are things he did not teach you. Before you run to blood wards again, I want you both prepared."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Downstairs, Harry fidgeted with his much too large gardening shirt, unsure what to say. Remus Lupin had gone from a vague idea in the back of his mind to a man sitting in front of him, offering to solve all of his problems. Well, most of them, at least. He couldn't solve the scar or being an orphan or the entire wizarding world thinking he'd killed a Dark Lord.

"Here, I have something for you," Remus said. He reached into his pockets and rummaged around for a moment before he pulled out a book and handed it over. When Harry opened it, he gasped at the sight of pictures of his parents - a lot of them. Pictures from when they were as young as eleven with other kids. Harry's eyes roamed the pages and he settled on a picture where James stood with Lily on his right, her arm around his waist. On James's left was a boy his height that had black hair, grey eyes, and a smirk on his face. On that boy's other side was someone that Harry imagined was a young Remus. Next to Lily was another girl that had dropped her head on Lily's shoulder happily.

"Who are they?" he wondered, pointing between the boy and the girl. "That's you, isn't it?"

"It is," Remus nodded at him with a melancholy smile. "Next to Lily is Emmaline Vance. They were best friends, along with the other girls in their dorm. There's a picture with all of them in there, I think. Next to me and James is… Sirius Black."

"Black," Harry said slowly. "Em's mentioned them before. Who is he?"

Remus looked tired. "Today isn't the day for that. You should keep looking. There's a couple from their wedding."

Harry made a face at him and kept staring at the picture. It had been taken in Gryffindor common room in front of the fireplace, and he could see other students in the edge of it. "Adults always keep things from me. If he's in a picture with my parents, he obviously knew them well. Was he their friend like you?"

"He was," he replied, resigned to telling him. "He was mine, too. My best friend. He ended up doing something really bad that got your parents hurt."

"Well, what happened?"

Remus seemed to struggle for a moment before he took in a breath and spoke carefully. "Harry, Sirius Black was your father's best friend. Now, so was I, but those idiots- I loved your dad dearly but sometimes he didn't think things through, and neither did Sirius. In our first year, they did a blood brothers bond. It's some very intense magic that made them brothers by blood and by magic. So out of the four of us, they were closest."

"Four? Including Mum?"

"No, actually. Lily refused to associate with our group, or the name of it. Our fourth member was a man named Peter Pettigrew. A gentle soul, really. He died not long after your parents."

"Oh. I'm sorry," Harry said quietly. "What happened to Sirius?"

Remus sipped at his tea quietly. "Sirius was always quite intense. His family are known to be dark, but he rebelled against them his entire life. It got him in a lot of trouble. A lot of danger, even. And since he and James were closest, when you and your parents were in trouble, James asked him to be Secret Keeper. Do you know what that is?"

"Nuh uh," he shook his head. "Magic?"

"Magic," Remus confirmed. "Very powerful magic. It meant that only Sirius knew where you guys were when you went into hiding. I… I couldn't say why, but Sirius gave You-Know-Who your location that Halloween night."

Harry's head shot up from the picture book. His wide eyes met Remus's own, sad brown eyes. "Sirius Black got my parents killed?"

Remus grimaced even as he nodded quietly.

"But…" he frowned and thought back to the day he'd met Augustus Rookwood. "Em said something about him when she was talking to Rookwood that day."

Remus blinked at him in confusion, slightly distracted. "I thought they didn't get along well."

"They _don't_. He threatened her and she refused to report it for some reason… but he said something," he said again. "He said… Sirius came to his senses in the end. Then Em said that everyone knew Sirius was coerced into whatever he did. I didn't ask 'cause he'd just threatened her, but… was she talking about my parents?"

Remus looked at Harry in surprise. He'd been unaware anyone aside from him had even entertained the idea that Sirius had been coerced. "I would assume so, yes. I didn't know… I haven't spent much time in Wizarding society the last decade, so I didn't know anyone thought he might be innocent."

"Well, where is he?"

"He's in Azkaban, a wizarding prison," Remus replied. Harry was looking at him thoughtfully. "Hm?"

Harry shrugged slightly. "Well, you were his friend. D'you think he did it?"

"Harry…" Remus shook his head. "Sirius had a trial. He wouldn't still be in Azkaban, had he not done it. I can only come up with two reasons he might've betrayed your parents, and both of them are dead now."

"What reason could… excuse letting my parents die?"

"Not excuse," he said quickly. "Not in the least. That being said, Sirius had a complicated relationship with his siblings."

"I heard of Regulus. He had another?"

"Mm. Cassiopeia. She wasn't exactly announced. She was born in the height of the war and kept hidden by Sirius's father, Orion. Sirius was still named godfather. He adored her as much as he adored you. He was a good godfather, really. Not long before… everything, Regulus got a letter to Sirius saying that Narcissa, their cousin, overheard You-Know-Who telling Lucius that Cassiopeia was to be taken and murdered. He only said it once, and I know he only said it in stress, but… it leaves one to wonder."

"What? What'd he say?"

Remus shook his head. "Harry, Sirius loved your parents very much. James was his brother, but Lily was his sister. He also, as I said, had a very complicated relationship with his blood family. Blacks, for better or worse and even when they don't want to, they protect each other. Narcissa and Regulus put themselves at great risk, telling Sirius, but they did so because they hoped he could protect her. So, when he got that letter, I was there with him. He asked if I thought You-Know-Who would spare her if he joined him."

Harry looked horrified. "He traded my parents and I for a _chance_ that they'd spare his sister?"

"I truly don't know, Harry. It's the only idea I have that is even slightly comforting. Sirius would and has killed for those he loves. As much as I can't imagine him killing your parents for his sister… I couldn't say for sure."

"Well, what happened to her?"

Remus grimaced. "Orion and Cassiopeia Black were killed using Fiendfyre the same night your parents died."

Harry frowned down at his tea, which was going cold in his hands. His father's best friend- his _uncle_ had betrayed them. He'd let them be killed, and for what? A sister that died anyway? And even if it _wasn't_ for her, he couldn't imagine a single reason good enough for what he'd done. He felt better remembering that the man was in prison. Still, Remus had said something that bothered him. "You said he knew me? And he was a good godfather?"

Remus winced. He hadn't caught his slip. He'd never intended to tell Harry about Sirius at all, much less that the man would've raised Harry if he hadn't been caught. "I'm sorry, Harry. Sirius was your parents' first choice to raise you if they weren't there."

"He was my godfather," Harry whispered. "He was my godfather. They trusted him, and he betrayed them."

"I'm sorry," Remus offered him a comforting smile. "I'm not sure if it helps, but I was third in line to take care of you."

"Who was second?"

"Alice and Frank Longbottom," he replied. "Wonderful people, some of the best. They were incredible Aurors."

"Neville's- wait, Neville's _parents_?" Harry stared at him in shock. "They… died?"

"They didn't die, no. But ah… it's not a pleasant story. We were good friends with Alice and Frank through school. Lily and Alice got pregnant at the same time. Alice gave birth only a day before Lily did. We were moving between Godric's Hollow and St. Mungo's like mad men. Your parents were also Neville's godparents. But after Alice and Frank, it's me."

"Well then why didn't you… did you not… want me?" he asked in a whisper, as if he didn't actually want Remus to hear the insecure question. Remus's heart broke at the words.

"Oh, Harry, I wanted you more than anything. You were the lightest thing in my life since the moment you were born. You used to call me Uncle Moony, you know."

"Moony," Harry repeated slowly. He blinked, trying to remember what he'd seen on that map of the twins' - the Weasley twins, that was. "Moony, I've seen that before. On a map."

Remus's eyes lit up. "A map, you say? One called the Marauder's Map? One that details Hogwarts and everyone in it?"

"Yeah," he nodded excitedly. "Fred and George used it to help me find Em when-,"

"Hm?"

"Uh, nothing," he cleared his throat awkwardly. Despite the fact that everyone knew now, he hadn't told a soul himself. He'd been threatened by Slytherins, and he didn't want to give them a reason to follow through on that. "That's _yours_?"

Remus reached over and grabbed the picture book. He flipped through it until he came upon a picture in the seventh year boys' dorm. On the floor sat James, Remus, Sirius, and Peter with the Map spread between them. "There it is. I was going to tell you about the old map. We made it together, the four of us. Marlene McKinnon might've helped a bit, too, but we didn't talk about it because she wasn't supposed to know it existed."

"Why did she?" Harry wondered, watching his father throw a piece of popcorn at Sirius. It lodged itself in his hair, and the boy narrowed his eyes playfully at him.

"She was another one of Lily's best friends. More than that, she was the love of Sirius's life," Remus explained. He had a sad smile as he spoke of her. "She was a great witch. Certainly put him in his place often enough. She died in the war about a year before you were born."

Harry was beginning to understand that a _lot_ of people had died in that war, especially people his parents - and therefore, Remus - had known. "So if you're Moony, then who's the rest of them?"

"Well, James was Prongs," he shook his head. "Sirius was Padfoot, and Pete was Wormtail."

Harry laughed a little. "Those are weird nicknames, you know."

"I do," he assured him. "But there's reason for them. Harry… ah, I'm not sure if anyone's told you, but I'm a werewolf."

Harry's eyes widened. "A _werewolf_? That's so cool. Can you become a wolf when you want? What color is your fur? Is it the same as your hair? Cause it might be weird if it wasn't."

"When I- no, not exactly," Remus blinked. He was used to a far different response to the news. Harry's frankly wholesome questions had him smiling again. "I take it you haven't learned much about werewolves."

"Not really," he shrugged.

"Well, werewolves can be completely normal people, like myself. I try to take a potion called Wolfsbane to protect myself and everyone else. If I don't take it, I make sure I'm in a place where I can't get to anyone else. Now, I want you to be aware that werewolves can also be dangerous. If they're reckless, they can hurt people. There's also one notorious werewolf that drums up a lot of the hatred and bigotry toward werewolves. He makes us seem like dangerous, horrible, violent people. Really, I'm only turned for about twelve hours a month."

Harry looked confused. "But that's so short of a time. Why would that be dangerous? Especially if you're protecting yourself and everyone else. It's not a big deal, Uncle Moony."

Remus couldn't help the grin that broke out on his lips. Harry seemed to be testing out the name and, from the short nod he gave himself, he guessed the boy liked it. "Bigotry never makes logical sense. You and I are half-bloods, and there are those out there that would claim we're worth less than purebloods. It's best to tune them out."

"Wait, if you're a werewolf, are you called Moony because of the moon?" Harry asked, even as he rolled his eyes at himself. Of _course_, that was why. "Okay, so what about my dad?"

"Prongs," Remus nodded. "Padfoot, and Wormtail were nicknamed that because they became something called Animagi. What that means, is they can turn into one specific animal at will. Prongs was a stag, Padfoot was a grim- or a big, black dog, and Wormtail was a rat."

Harry laughed. "Ron has a pet rat named Scabbers. He's missing a toe. How does a rat miss a toe?"

The smile fell from Remus's lips. "He's missing a toe?"

"Yeah. Ron says he's been in the family forever, and he's always been missing his toe. He's pretty sure Scabbers is gonna die soon, cause he shouldn't be so old."

"Harry," Remus said slowly. "Would you mind if I met your friend Ron and his rat?"

"Um… sure," Harry blinked. "I can write him, if you want."

"Who?" Emilie asked, coming in the kitchen to pass through. She was back in her regular robes, having changed out of the muggle clothes.

"Ron," Harry said, rolling his eyes at the face she made. "Really, Em, he's not that bad. Uncle Moony wants to meet his… rat."

"His rat?" Emilie looked at Remus in surprise. "That thing looks half dead. If you want a rat, there's one running around in Blaise's room somewhere… we really should tell Lady Greengrass about that. Theo said Blaise snuck into his room last night asking him to get rid of it."

Remus let out a nervous laugh. "No, I think this rat in particular is important."

"Well, starting tomorrow, I'm grounded," she shrugged, walking back over with a glass of water. "So we should go tonight. I need to give Percy back the notes he lent me in May, anyway. I never got them back to him because- well, you know. I'll go floo them."

"Grounded?" Harry asked in surprise. She gave a light shrug and pretended not to be bothered by it.

"Apparently if you directly disobey your uncle and do something moderately dangerous, you'll get grounded," she replied before leaving the room. Harry stared at where she'd stood and shook his head.

"We've been friends for a year and I still think she's weird," he admitted. "What did she do that's dangerous?"

"Curse breaking is actually quite dangerous," Remus informed him. "Putting up and taking down wards is a form of curse breaking. She must've learned it from her father. He was the most accomplished curse breaker in England."

"Well, if it's dangerous, why'd she do it?"

Remus sighed. "I couldn't get to you. Those wards held a heavy Confundus that confused me and made me leave if I got close. That's why I never saw you. Any owls I sent were immediately returned. Dumbledore did a lot to keep me away from you."

Emilie popped her head back in. "Mr. Weasley said we can come over now. He knows you're coming, Remus."

Once more, Harry experienced the extremely unsettling feeling of floo travel, this time directly into Ron's living room. The boy himself was waiting there excitedly, nearly bouncing on his feet. "Harry!"

"Hi, Ron," he greeted with a smile. "Um, this is Remus. He's my uncle."

"Well, Remus Lupin," Molly Weasley said from the door, shaking her head with a smile. "You're looking peaky. Would you like some lunch? It's almost done."

"Oh, no, Molly. I wouldn't want to be a bother," Remus said quickly, but Molly shook her head.

"You're no bother to us. What's it been, twelve years? Thirteen? No matter. Lunch will be done in ten minutes. You kids better be washed up by then. That includes you, Emilie. I've heard quite a bit about you."

Emilie coughed slightly. "Not from Ron, I hope." Molly just laughed and walked out of the room. "No, seriously, I hope she hasn't heard about me from you."

Ron rolled his eyes at her. "All I said was you wouldn't let me get on the bloody knight and now she thinks you're an angel. I _tried_ telling her otherwise, but she won't listen."

"Ron, is it?" Remus smiled at him. "It's nice to meet you. Harry says you've got a rat named Scabbers. Do you think I could meet him?"

Ron shrugged and pulled the rat out of his pocket and handed him over. Remus grabbed him and looked him over until he saw a familiar marking under his belly. He let out a sigh. "Oh, what were you thinking, hiding here all these years? Well, come on then, let's see you."

"Does he… know my rat?" Ron whispered to Harry, who just shrugged.

Remus set the rat on the floor and waited patiently. It took nearly a minute of strange looks from the kids before Scabbers started shifting slowly until he sprouted upwards into Peter Pettigrew. The man charged forwards and slammed into Remus to hug him.

"Oh, Remus, my old friend!" Pettigrew cried. Remus was patting him on the back in shock.

"There, there," he muttered. "Kids, do you think we could have a moment?"

Emilie shrugged and looked to Ron. "Where's Percy's room?"

"Upstairs," he waved her toward the stairs and led Harry to the kitchen. Once they'd gone and Emilie ran to the stairs, Remus looked over his friend again. He hadn't aged well as a rat, that was certain.

"Pete, why on earth would you hide here? Why not come home?" He wondered. "You were awarded an Order of Merlin for confronting Sirius, you know."

"I- I- I thought he'd find me," Peter cried. "He said he'd kill me, Remus, you've no idea. It was like he was possessed! I'd never seen him like that, so evil. He cut off my finger and I knew I could fake my death."

Remus sighed. "You're safe now. He's been in Azkaban since that night. You can come home now."

Peter nodded even as he threw himself back into Remus's arms.

No one ever said Peter was the bravest of souls, that's for sure.

OoOoOoOoOoOo


	10. Better Brother

**A/N: in which Charlie is a third year because I wanted him to be for plot purposes and I shove all of second year into one chapter, because I really hate second year for some reason. Don't judge me. Padfootl0ve was the one that helped me figure out how to get it over with so quickly. **

**Now third year. Third year is what I'm really looking forward to. Shit's gonna happen, guys. And I promise I won't have anymore one chapter school years, this one is it. **

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter Ten**

_My friends and I, we got a lot of problems_

_You know where I'm coming from_

**July 7th, 1992**

Emilie tipped her head back and got back on the stairs to check the _next_ floor. The Burrow was a very tall building made of rooms stacked on top of one another. That floor held another bedroom, this one with the door closed. She gave a short knock and waited until it was opened by another redhead that she'd never met. It was odd, because he looked to be a year older than her, if that. "Oh, hello."

"Hello," he replied, amused. "Do we just have random girls running around here, now?"

"Uh, no," she shook her head. "I was looking for Percy. I have some old notes of his I borrowed. I'm Emilie Nott."

She held her hand out and, to her surprise - because Ron and the twins were not very interested in being chivalrous - he kissed her knuckles and shot her a grin that looked a bit like a smirk, too. "Charlie Weasley. Percy's staying with Wood this week. I'll give his notes back, if you want."

She looked at him suspiciously. "I don't know. I certainly wouldn't trust Ron, Fred, or George to _actually_ give his notes to him. Why should I trust you?"

"You're in my house and I said so?" he tried.

"Not good enough."

Charlie laughed. "You're smart. How about I take you to his room and you watch me put them with his school stuff?"

Emilie hummed. "I suppose that would work."

Charlie closed his door behind him and started leading her up the stairs again. Percy's room was on the next floor, apparently, and she watched Charlie toss the notes into Percy's trunk, which was open next to his desk. "Satisfied?"

"Very, thank you," she nodded and turned around to walk back down the stairs. He followed after her and didn't stop at his room. "I haven't met you, why's that? I've met all of your brothers at Hogwarts."

"Ah, that'd be because I took the year to be homeschooled, but not at home," he explained. "Bill, our oldest brother, he moved to Egypt and offered to take me for the year. Mum didn't like the idea, but I'm interested in curse breaking, too."

Emilie's eyes lit up. "I just got grounded for curse breaking!"

Charlie snorted as they got to the living room. He went to walk in, but Emilie shook her head, so he guided her through the sitting room to the right instead. "How'd you manage that? You're like… ten."

She blinked. "I'm- I'm nearly thirteen. My father has taught Theo and I curse breaking since we were young. I was just taking care of some wards. How was I to know they'd be sacrificial blood wards? I didn't exactly have notes from the woman that set them up."

Charlie stopped short. "_What_? You're my age and you messed with _sacrificial blood wards_? Mum yelled at Bill for even telling me about them! How are you even _alive_?"

"Well, it's not that dramatic," she waved him off. "Besides, I had help from the person they were protecting. You know… are you coming back to Hogwarts this year?"

"Yep. Bill's taking on more dangerous work and he can't look after me anymore," Charlie explained. "So I get my third year at Hogwarts."

She smiled at him. "I'll bring you some of my father's books. Er- his lighter books. If Uncle Evan finds out I've got the darker ones, I'll be grounded for the rest of the summer. I don't even know what being grounded is like. What happens?"

Charlie shook his head at her. "A lot of nothing. You're weird, you know. How've you never been grounded?"

"A terribly uncaring father," she muttered under her breath, but to her surprise, he caught it. She could tell by the look on his face, and she shifted uncomfortably. "As I was saying, I'll bring books and you can tell me about Egypt. Curse breaking customs are so different there, I've always been fascinated by them, but Father never worked there so he never mentioned it much."

"You've got a deal, Nott," he said with a firm nod. "So, you know my brothers. How's Ron at school?"

"He's insufferable, but I'm fairly certain he's _always_ insufferable," she commented. He grinned at her and laughed.

"Bill says he'll grow out of it. He says I did already. Ron disagrees. I bet you'll like Ginny more. Have you met her, yet?"

Emilie shrugged. "I've never been here before, and the society events I go to aren't frequented by your family. If I'm being honest, I didn't know she existed. I didn't know _you_ existed."

Charlie shook his head and led her into the kitchen. "We're not involved in that stuff. What's it like? I've always wondered. Stuffy, I assume."

"Don't be rude, Charlie," Molly called. "Have you washed up for lunch?"

"Yes, Mum," Charlie lied, too distracted to wash his hands.

Emilie watched Harry and Ron as they set the table and considered the question. "It's different. At society events, you have to be perfect. You might see your friends, but you have to be proper with them. You're supposed to charm every single person there. Honestly, it's tiring. I'd much rather have avoided it all."

"Those parties are no place for children like you," Molly shook her head at them. "With adult things being discussed. You don't need to worry about the world."

"I disagree," she said with a respectful smile. "We need to know about it because some day, we're going to be running it. That's why Theo and I got our lessons starting when we were toddlers. Father thought I didn't need to know, which is ridiculous, so my friends' parents taught me when he wouldn't. Besides, the connections we make are important."

"Can't you even _act_ like you're a kid?" Ron made a face at her. "I mean come on, Nott, you always look like the world's about to end. It's _summer_. Stop worrying about that stuff."

Emilie bristled slightly at his words and crossed her arms over her chest. "I should get back before Uncle Evan notices I'm gone. Thank you for the offer of lunch, Mrs. Weasley, but another time. Harry, I'll see you back at Greengrass Manor."

"See you, Em," he waved. Before Molly or Ron could say anything, she slipped out of the kitchen again and toward the floo. Charlie followed her curiously and watched as she grabbed for floo powder.

"So is it?"

"Huh?" she looked at him, confused.

"The world. Ending, I mean."

Emilie shook her head and grabbed a handful of floo powder. "Your brother is extremely irritating and a bit dramatic, but yes, he's probably right that I always seem that way… it was nice to meet you Charlie."

"Emilie," he nodded with a smile. She threw down the floo powder and sent herself away, leaving Harry to the Weasleys, Remus, and Peter.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

**July 14th, 1992**

"Emilie!" Astoria exclaimed when she finally left her room that morning. The girl in question blinked in surprise and was unable to prepare herself before Astoria grabbed her in a hug. She laughed and hugged her back. "Thank Merlin Lord Rosier didn't extend your grounding. I'm going crazy with Draco without you here to shut him up."

She laughed and walked with Astoria to the kitchen for tea. The elves must've been busy, which was fine with her because she appreciated having something to do with her hands. "He nearly did when he realized I'd taken Harry and Remus to the Burrow because of a rat. He wouldn't have even found out if Charlie hadn't sent me an owl two days later, prompting Uncle Evan to ask me when I'd even met him."

"You really should learn to lie to the people you love," Astoria told her. She had her elbows on the counter and her chin resting on her hands as she watched Emilie grab a mug down to pour the water in. "_Anyway_, have you met Harry's new uncle? You know, aside from Lupin."

Emilie shrugged and glanced up from the honey she was putting in. "No. I mean, I _saw_ him, but I didn't meet him. What's he like?"

"Odd. In the first few days, he was really squirrely. I think he's calmed down, though. He also looks a lot better, but there's things even magic can't fix."

"Story, that's rude," Emilie scolded, though she gave a small smile. "Are they still staying here?"

Astoria nodded and grabbed the tea from her friend to take a sip. Emilie shot her a heatless glare and set to making another cup with the understanding that the one she just made was no longer hers. "Yeah, Mum and Dad are going to keep helping them with legal stuff."

"Oh," Emilie blinked to herself. "Yeah, how's that going? Did anyone say anything about the wards?"

Astoria snickered. "Yeah, Dumbleodre was _pissed_. He doesn't know it was you, though. He claimed they were super special wards and the only ones in the world that could protect Harry, and without them, he's doomed."

"Well, that's a little dramatic. They were strong wards, sure, but no stronger than regular familial blood wards. Harry will be perfectly safe with Remus. Does he have custody yet?"

"Almost. Theo said Dumbledore got in an argument with Dad in the Wizengamot and everyone started questioning why he wouldn't open the Potters' wills, and he was forced to. Right now I think they're just waiting on like… paperwork."

Emilie put honey in the new cup of tea and blew on it to cool it down. "Does Harry like it? You know, Remus?"

"Harry's right here," the boy said as he made his way into the kitchen. He was smiling a smile Emilie hadn't seen before - a full, truly happy smile. "You don't have to talk about me, you know. You could ask me yourself."

"Alright then, Harry, are you happy?" she asked him. "Do you like being with Remus?"

Harry nodded quickly. "He's great. He gave me this picture book, and he's collecting even more from people they went to school with. He keeps telling me about them. Aunt Petunia never told me a thing except that they'd died in a car crash, and even that was a lie."

"Mm, good. This turned out a lot better than I expected."

"Oh, also! We were talking and he was telling me about how he was in school, and he loves learning as much as you do! He even has some of his old books and notes and things that he said you can have if you want," he said excitedly. "He's with Uncle Pete in the library now. You can meet him, too."

"Sure," Emilie agreed, picking up her tea to carry it with her. Astoria didn't move, so she grabbed her by her sleeve and pulled her out of the kitchen with them. Despite Astoria's groaning, the trio made their way up the stairs until they reached the third floor. Inside the library sat Remus and a man that vaguely resembled the rat-like man they'd extracted from Scabbers.

Peter Pettigrew had had his hair trimmed and shaved off his messy facial hair. He'd clearly showered, and he wasn't bunched up tightly like he had been. He had a shy smile on his face, and his eyes were a clearer, though still a dull green. He wore well fitting wizard's robes, suggesting someone, likely Daniel, had gotten him fitted and bought him some. Peter was certainly still chubby, but just by looking at him, you wouldn't have guessed that the chub came from eleven years of being fed cauldron cakes and sandwiches by the Weasley kids.

"Emilie!" Remus called with a smile as they made their way over. "Harry was wondering if you'd be back today. Ungrounded, then?"

She shrugged. "It wasn't the worst week of my life. Uncle Evan made me study blood wards more in depth and scolded me about five times a day for touching them, but it's over now, and I learned a lot."

"Good, good," he nodded firmly. "I'm glad to see he's being responsible about it, then."

Emilie felt a slight spike of irritation at the comment that suggested Remus had assumed Evan _wouldn't_ be responsible. Still, she moved on and promised herself she'd ask Evan about their issues later. "Mr. Pettigrew, it's nice to meet you. I'm Emilie Nott."

Pettigrew offered her a smile and took the hand she held out. He kissed the back of it, reminding her that he was actually a pureblood. "Harry's told us a lot about you and your brother."

"Theo would be here, but Neville invited him over for a couple of days," Emilie explained. "And I've got another picnic later today, so I'll see them later."

"A picnic?" Harry asked with wide eyes. "Whose? All your friends are here."

"Harry," Remus scolded lightly.

Emilie laughed. "Yeah, all but basically two of them. Remember the Slytherins that threatened you on Halloween?"

Harry's eyes widened dramatically. "You knew about that?"

She shrugged. "They told me when I woke up that they made sure you'd stay quiet. None of us anticipated that you had absolutely no fear of overprotective third-year Slytherins."

"But I _do_," he assured her. They hadn't actually discussed it yet, and he realized she thought he'd told the entire castle. "Em, I didn't say anything. I didn't even really say anything to Fred or George about it except in… the common room. Someone must've overheard us when we got back!"

"Well, it's over now. Tell as many people you want that I was there, it doesn't really matter. What's done is done. My point was, it's them."

"I saw you talking to them a lot, especially after Christmas," Harry nodded along. "Like they were watching you. It was a bit creepy."

Emilie resisted the urge to make a face. "Typically, Thor and Avery would know better than to be so obvious about it, but they were trying to scare off Augustus. For the most part, it worked."

"Yeah, about that," Harry straightened slightly. "Em, you never explained. He wanted to hurt you, why?"

"It's a- a long, depressing story," she said slowly. Her gaze drifted back to the men watching them. "Shouldn't you be focused on them now that you've got them?"

Harry frowned. She was avoiding the question, and poorly at that. "Emilie-,"

"Drop it, Potter," Astoria said from behind him. He glanced back in surprise to find a fierce glare on her face. "Or I'll make you."

"Story," Emilie grabbed her hand. "Don't threaten him. He's worried, it's fine."

"I mean it, though," Astoria mumbled before raising her voice. "Besides, Potter, you can ask and ask and none of us will tell you. I barely got Theo to tell me. _Daphne_ wouldn't tell me. Back off."

"Well, this is a fun morning back," Emilie said dryly. "To think I was excited to see my friends, and now they're threatening each other."

"_She_ threatened _me_," Harry pointed out quickly. "Fine, if you don't wanna explain about Rookwood, explain something else to me."

"Hm?"

He shrugged. "Well, why d'you spend so much time here? You don't live here, right?"

Emilie laughed and sipped at her tea again. "Father wasn't very interested in me, especially after Mother died. It was around then that we met Daphne, Astoria, Blaise, and Draco. I tend to bounce between their homes, but I stayed here a good fifty percent of the time. That's why Lady Greengrass _ordered_ me to decorate my room here - she wanted it to be like a second home, and it is."

"Yup," Astoria wrapped an arm around Emilie's waist. "I like telling people I have two sisters, 'cause it confuses them."

"And you shouldn't do that, because your dad told Uncle Evan that he had someone approach him about setting up a contract. For _me_."

Astoria grinned shamelessly, and Remus laughed. "Do you have a contract, Emilie?"

"No. Father didn't…" she trailed off. He hadn't expected her to live long enough to be married. Astoria elbowed her, and she shook herself quickly. "He didn't write one up before he died, and Uncle Evan has other matters on his mind. We're aware I'm reaching the age we need to start thinking about them, but until things are settled, Theo and I don't need to worry about it."

Peter shook his head. "That must be nice. I had a contract, you know. Written up for me when I was _nine_."

"Really?" Harry asked in surprise. "Did you ever get married?"

"No," he looked a bit sad as he replied. "Dorcas died in the war. She was a good friend."

Harry blinked in confusion. "But you didn't love her?"

"Not like that," Peter replied. "It was a contract. It didn't matter much if we did love each other."

"Purebloods are weird," Harry stated. "I'm not marrying anyone unless I love them."

"Of course," Remus agreed. "James never had one, and he and Lily agreed the idea was extremely outdated. They wanted you to be happy."

"But you guys will actually have to just marry a stranger?" Harry asked Astoria and Emilie. The girls exchanged a glance.

"I actually _do_ have a contract," Astoria admitted to him. "With Draco."

Harry's mouth fell open in shock. "You- you've been complaining about him for a week straight!"

"Yep. Point is, he's not a stranger, he's a friend I've known most of my life."

"As for me," Emilie said thoughtfully. "I don't know. If I did fall in love with someone, Uncle Evan would probably be extremely agreeable to making it work. I'm not exactly essential to the continuation of our line. I don't even think Uncle Evan will make Theo have a contract because Theo would _never_ marry someone for our House. If he hadn't been forced to, he wouldn't even be Lord Nott."

"Why's that?" Peter wondered. Once again, she tensed up.

"I should get ready for the picnic," she decided. "Remus, Harry said you had some things for me. I can come find you when I get back if that's alright."

"Yes, of course," he agreed.

"Come on, Story," she said, pulling Astoria out behind her. Once they were gone, Remus looked to his nephew.

"Harry, is Emilie alright? She always seems so…"

"Yeah," Harry agreed with a defeated sigh. "I dunno. Whatever secret that is, she refuses to tell me. All I know is that she's in danger somehow, or she was, and she won't tell me about it."

Remus sat back and hummed, but said nothing else on the matter.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

**August 19th, 1992**

By the time they went shopping for school supplies, things had calmed down. Harry was firmly and permanently with Remus as his guardian, and they'd moved into Potter Manor, a place that had taken three weeks to open up and clean out.

All of the kids and all of their parents went to Diagon Alley together to shop, and were absolutely unsurprised by how busy it was. There were people running about all over, but the busiest shop by far was Flourish and Blotts. Outside was a poster of a blonde man with a horribly cheesy smile on his face.

"Who is he?" Harry asked as they got in line to get their books.

"Your next defense professor," Emma replied with a disappointed frown. "His name is Gilderoy Lockhart. I wouldn't put much stock into what he says, Harry."

"Anyone with a brain knows Lockhart is a scam," Lucius added with a firm nod.

"Nott!"

Emilie and Theo both spun around to see the Weasleys approaching. Ron was scowling, but Charlie was grinning at them as he reached them. "Charlie, hey. I didn't realize you guys would be here today."

"Mum's got a crush on Lockhart," Ron explained as he pushed past her to meet Harry. He ended up shoving her slightly and she scowled as Theo steadied her.

"Man, you weren't kidding when you said you don't like each other," Charlie commented. "He's complained about you multiple times this summer. Can't convince Mum how horrible you apparently are."

"_I'm_ not the idiot that thought we'd be fighting dragons," Emilie muttered. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Lord Malfoy and Arthur Weasley talking, and it didn't seem to be a particularly friendly conversation. "That's not good."

"Let's just stay out of the way," Theo suggested hesitantly. "I hate when they run into each other."

"Can't imagine how Draco feels," Emilie added.

"Em, maybe we should come back later," Theo said as he nudged her toward the door. She quickly realized why - not only was Lucius getting into it with Arthur, but Harry had also been dragged to the front by Lockhart. It was a complete mess, and she wasn't sure who to go to, Draco or Harry. "You can't help them both. Let's just go get our potions supplies and come back."

"Yeah," she agreed. "Yeah, sure."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Three hours later, the entire group sat at the largest table in the Leaky Cauldron, being served by an overwhelmed teenager. For the most part, the adults were talking together while Harry was finally telling his friends about his visitor.

"_Dobby_?" Theo repeated in a whisper. Draco was sitting across the table from them, talking to his father. "Are you sure?"

"Well, yeah. He keeps showing up, trying to convince me not to go to Hogwarts. He dropped a water balloon on Uncle Moony, which only made Uncle Moony throw one at me while I was putting my clothes away. He's got really good aim, you know."

"Who? Remus or Dobby?" Emilie wondered.

"Actually, both."

"Why in the world would he want to keep you from Hogwarts?" Daphne asked.

Harry shrugged at them. "I dunno. Uncle Moony says I'm just gonna floo there, just in case. Who's elf is it, do you think?"

"It's-,"

Astoria smacked Blaise under the table. "No clue. Just ignore him for now and we'll see if we can figure it out for you."

"Okay, but if he shows up while I'm sleeping again, I'm gonna lose it."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

**September 2nd, 1992**

"What do you _mean_ you can talk to snakes?" Daphne hissed as she, Emilie, and Harry rushed through the school together. "That's not normal, Harry!"

Harry looked frustrated as they took stairs two at a time. "Well no one told _me_ that! I just figured… you know, magic."

"It _is_ magic, but it's rare," Emilie told him. "Being a Parselmouth is extremely rare. The last known Parselmouth was… the Dark Lord."

"Great. That's just _great_."

They got to the fifth floor finally, and the two girls exchanged a glance before looking at Harry together. "Don't tell anyone about it, Harry, or they'll think… Circe knows what they'd think."

Harry waved at them and entered his common room, leaving Daphne and Emilie to walk down to the dungeons together. Once they got there, they sat on a couch together and Daphne eyed Emilie, who made a face. "What?"

"Think it's gonna happen again?"

"What? Quirrell trying to steal the Philosopher's Stone, or my Father trying to kill me? Because they're both dead, so both options are unlikely."

Daphne smacked her arm with a laugh. "No, I just mean Potter getting into shit. I mean, he just heard a snake in the walls, talking about killing somebody."

Emilie laughed a little. "Maybe there's a murderous garden snake somewhere in here. I wouldn't worry about it, Daph. This year is going to be the first normal year of my life."

"Great. Now you've cursed it."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

**November 30th, 1992**

Emilie was wrong.

On Halloween, Mrs. Norris had been found by Harry, Ron, and Neville. She'd been petrified by something within the castle. Filch had _loudly_ accused Harry of killing the cat, and he'd nearly attacked the boy.

Harry hadn't done it, obviously. Still, there were whispers in the castle. If it hadn't been Harry, then _who_? While many still said it was Harry, Ron was going around defending him by telling people that Emilie had done it, something she only found out the day of the Quidditch match.

"Hey, Nott," Charlie called. Emilie spun around and spotted the redhead walking toward her. She blinked in surprise as he came to stand at her side, watching the match with her.

"Charlie, what are you… doing here? I mean… this is the Slytherin stands. You could get hexed," she warned him. His typical smile-smirk twitched into a laugh.

"Gonna let your classmates hex me?"

Emilie rolled her eyes. "Not by Slytherins, by Gryffindors! Really, what're you doing here?"

"I can't come sit with a friend?"

"Not if the friend is Slytherin. I was also unaware that we're friends," she said as an afterthought. "Besides, I really need to focus."

"Because you're the heir of Slytherin?" he quirked an eyebrow at her. She let out a huff, making him laugh. "Ron's telling everyone it's you. I think Finnigan at _least_ has a healthy fear of you now."

Emilie shook her head as she watched Harry whiz about the sky on his broom. "Ron can have all the fun he wants, spreading rumors, but I actually know what happened. Or at least, part of what happened. If Harry can get through this match without incident, we're going to get this handled."

"_You're_ going to go fight whatever's petrifying cats?" Charlie asked in disbelief. "Well shit, Nott, now I gotta come with."

"Absolutely not," she shook her head immediately. "We're not even going to- I'm just going to tell him, not go after it."

"Well, I gotta make sure you don't set the monster on the Boy Who Lived, don't I?"

Emilie's lips twitched slightly. Charlie clearly thought Ron was full of it - which he was - and it was nice. "Fine, but don't-,"

"Woah," Charlie gasped. She followed his gaze and caught sight of Oliver Wood plummeting to the ground. The second thing she noticed was that the bludger that had hit Wood's broom was chasing Harry around the pitch. It was tearing through the stands and speeding up, it seemed. Harry was fast, but so was the bludger. Just when it seemed he'd lost it, he met Draco in the middle of the pitch, where they both spotted the snitch.

Unfortunately, the bludger was back. The two seekers chased after the snitch with the bludger chasing _them_. They went under the stands and out of sight, and when they came back, Draco was thrown from his broom roughly.

"Draco!" Emilie gasped, leaning forward. He was awake and groaning, but seemed mostly fine. Assured of that, she looked back to Harry. He was reaching for the snitch again, and she saw it coming before he did. The bludger came at him from the side and collided violently with his right arm. To her absolute shock, Harry didn't stop. He kept reaching for the snitch, although he was holding his right arm close to his chest as he did so. Unfortunately, he lost control of his broom and fell only a couple of feet to the sand below him.

Immediately, people started rushing down to him, including Emilie and Charlie. As they were running to him, Emilie pulled out her wand and pointed it at the bludger, which was once more trying to kill Harry. "_Finite Incantatem_!"

The bludger came to a stop and so did they, dropping to the ground. Lockhart had reached him as well, and immediately reached for Harry's hurt arm. "Not to worry, Harry. I will fix that arm of yours straight away."

"No, you won't," Emilie cut in sharply. "Harry needs to see a trained healer. _You're_ not going to touch him."

"You don't know what you're saying," Lockhart accused as he pushed up Harry's sleeve, making the boy wince. Emilie shoved her way between them and gave him a dark glare.

"Harry did not consent to medical treatment from you. Touch him and I will be writing his uncle, who I have no doubt would be more than willing to ensure you get what you deserve, should you not properly heal him."

"Ah, yes, of course," Lockhart said slowly, backing up. "I suppose you're right. Why don't you just get him to the infirmary then, Miss Nott."

Emilie scowled at him as he hurried away. Once he was gone, she helped Harry to his feet. "Don't worry, broken bones aren't that bad. If it's the first time you've broken it, you'll just have a charmed brace for a week or so."

"That was bloody terrifying," Charlie told her as he helped her take Harry toward the castle. They weren't followed by anybody, which wasn't all that surprising. Harry had been injured, sure, but there had still been a Quidditch match won. "So, are you gonna tell me what you figured out now?"

She made a face at him and didn't reply to his questions as they approached the infirmary. Harry was surprised to find that she'd been right - Madame Pomfrey gave him a brace, charmed it, and gave him a pain potion before sending him on his way, which was when Harry turned on her. "So? What is it?"

"Well, it's obvious when you think about it," she explained. "Father told me about them once. I think he was trying to scare me. You keep hearing a snake in the wall, and Mrs. Norris was petrified, but not killed, and there was water on the floor. It's a basilisk, Harry."

"...a what?"

"You're bloody kidding me," Charlie breathed. "A fucking _basilisk_? They're deadly!"

"'Enemies of the heir beware,'" she quoted. "Whomever is controlling the basilisk, they _want_ it to be deadly. It makes sense with the tale of Slytherin, after all. I'd bet it's in the Chamber, too."

"Okay, so where's the Chamber, then?" Harry wondered.

"No one knows," Charlie told him. "No one even knows if it's real."

Emilie shifted slightly. "Well, I've put some thought into it. It has to be a part of the castle that isn't frequented, and somewhere that has access to underneath the castle. I've already done some searching of the dungeons with Blaise, and we can't find anything. My next best guess is Moaning Myrtle's bathroom."

"Great, let's go," Harry said. She put her hands up.

"I'm not telling you this so we can take it into our own hands. I'm telling you because I think you deserve to know, since everyone says either you or I are the heir of Slytherin. I'm telling Snape."

Harry looked frustrated. "Well, we should at least make sure the Chamber is even in there. Snape would just yell at us if we were wrong. Just come look with me and then we can tell him."

Emilie looked between them hesitantly. "I don't know. I don't want to get involved like last year."

"C'mon, Em, it's not a big deal. I _promise_ we can tell him."

She let out a reluctant sigh. "Okay. Okay, fine."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Things did not go as planned.

In fact, they very quickly abandoned their plans when Charlie jokingly suggested Harry speak Parseltongue and the Chamber had opened up. Harry had gone to look and, dizzy from his first ever pain potion and a _slight_ concussion, had just… fallen in.

With a great deal of frustration on Emilie's part and pure curiosity on Charlie's, they'd followed him. Things had seemed fine at first, aside from having no clue how to get out. It was Charlie's suggestion to search the Chamber for a way out.

That was how they'd found themselves in the main Chamber, where Ginny stood with a sixteen-year-old boy and a _very_ large basilisk.

An hour and a half later, the four of them - Harry, Emilie, and the two Weasleys - were back in the infirmary together, all extremely shaken. Emilie was less than surprised when Evan ran in the room, the same as the year before. He didn't stop moving until he'd landed on her bed and pulled her into a hug, which she returned gratefully. "I'm sorry."

"Avi, what happened?" he asked quietly, stroking her hair. Before he'd sat down, he'd certainly seen the state of her. She had cuts and bruises all over, and had a large bandage over her upper left arm. "I am quickly becoming far too familiar with this situation."

Emilie shifted slightly in the bed until she'd pulled out of his hug and could see his face. Her own had a cut on her jaw and a bruised lip. "I'm sorry, Uncle Evan. I didn't want to go down, but Harry fell and we tried to get out."

"Tell me what happened," he requested calmly. "Take your time. Just breathe. I'm right here. You're okay."

She tried to listen to him. At least, she was able to take in some deep breaths, and they did help slightly. "Harry's a Parselmouth. He's been hearing a snake in the walls, talking about murdering someone. I figured it was just a violent garden snake until Mrs. Norris got petrified, and someone had used her blood to say the Chamber of Secrets was open, and they were going after muggleborns. I did some research and spent some time thinking about it, and I figured out it was a basilisk. I also figured out where the Chamber was. I only told Harry because people keep saying he's the heir of Slytherin, and then I was going to go tell Professor Snape, but he wanted to make sure, and then he fell in. Ginny was there, and she was possessed by a-," she cut off sharply and glanced over at Charlie, who was watching her. He knew she knew what the diary had been, but she'd refused to say. Quieter, she spoke again. "Harry killed the basilisk and the book, and Fawkes took us out of there."

"Merlin, kid," Evan sighed, pulling her back into a hug. He stroked her hair gently and rested his head on hers. "You're going to give me a heart attack before I'm fifty."

"Am I in trouble?" she asked quietly. He shook his head.

"You shouldn't have looked into this on your own, but I know you wanted to do the right thing. Things got out of hand, and it's not your fault. That being said, I would like you to start working with that dagger you've got. Practice using it, just in case something like this happens again, understand?"

She wanted to say yes, but she couldn't. She _didn't_ understand how she wasn't in trouble. She looked at him with a frown, trying to figure it out, but she couldn't. "Yeah."

Evan's face fell slightly. As he spoke, he rubbed her back to keep her calm. "Narcissa may have been right - you shouldn't lie if you can't do it well. I don't want you to lie to me, Avi. I want you to tell me if you're confused. I know you don't quite understand me because of how your father acted, but I need you to be open to communicating, or this won't get better. Okay?"

"Okay," she said, this time confidently. Communicating. She could do that. Right?

"Now, how are you hurt?" he wondered. "You look a bit rough, Em."

She shook her head quickly. "It's not that bad. I mostly just fell, so-,"

"Yeah, on a sword," Charlie scoffed. She looked at him in surprise and was startled that he could hear them, despite the low volume. It also suggested he'd heard what Evan had said about her father, which had her uncomfortable. "Nott tripped pushing Gin out of the way and fell sideways on the sword, and it cut her arm."

"It's really not as bad as it sounds," she told her uncle quickly.

"Hey," Charlie said, gaining her attention again. He grinned at her. "We friends _now_, Nott?"

Emilie shook her head at him. "Yes, I suppose so."

"Em, did- did you actually fall on a sword?" Evan asked. He was clearly startled and was looking at the bandage on her arm in concern. "How bad is it?"

"Madame Pomfrey says it'll heal up in a couple of weeks," Emilie shrugged. "There was something about the blade that made it hard to heal, I guess. I'll have a scar, but Madame Pomfrey numbed it so it isn't bad."

Evan sighed and looked at everyone else. Molly Weasley was there, squeezing the life out of her daughter in fear. Charlie was across from Emilie, and Harry was being tended to by Madame Pomfrey. "And your friends?"

"Harry was impaled by a basilisk fang, but Fawkes healed him with his tears," Emilie said slowly. "Aside from that, he's mostly fine. Charlie… I'm not sure."

"I'm peachy, Lord Rosier," Charlie told him. "I was looking after Gin, mostly. She's okay too, aside from being possessed by Tom Riddle, who is also apparently You-Know-Who."

Evan's eyes shot to Emilie, and she winced. "I'll tell you later, Uncle."

He apparently disagreed. He raised his wand and set up some hefty privacy wards around them until Charlie could no longer hear them. "Emilie, I need you to tell me exactly what happened."

"I don't need to, because it's not going to help," she admitted. "It was, Uncle. The diary was a horcrux, one the Dark Lord made. Harry was _so_ lucky, just having a basilisk fang to use to kill it. It's gone, but the… the dark magic it radiated was awful. I can still feel it."

Evan rubbed at his face tiredly. "Horcruxes have a habit of infecting others with their magic. We'll need to get all of you looked over by a curse breaker - a professional one."

"Try asking Charlie's brother, Bill," Emilie suggested. "He works in Egypt, so-,"

"Ah, yes. He will certainly have seen them before," Evan agreed. "I will write him today."

Emilie was quiet for a moment as she looked at Harry. "Dumbledore refused to call Remus. Harry's angry. I know you don't like him, but would you…?"

"Of course," Evan agreed, though he looked like he'd rather try to pet a Blast-Ended Skrewt. He waved away the privacy wards and kissed her forehead. "I'll be back, Avi. Try not to get in trouble while I'm gone."

"Yes, Uncle," she said. She watched as he made his way from the infirmary and laid back on her bed with a sigh. She hadn't even made it to the end of the year before something had happened. She just had to hope that the rest of the year was calm, and that the danger didn't become a yearly habit.

OoOoOoOoOoOo


	11. You'll Fall

**Chapter Eleven**

_You'd better learn to fly_

'_Cause they're gonna point you up at the sky_

**July 3rd, 1993**

Bill Weasley didn't come home for months. Evan had written him the very day it had all happened, and Bill had assured him that he'd done the right thing, but that he couldn't get out of his contract to leave yet. He'd sent them each a bracelet that would help with the symptoms of the dark magic that had seeped into them from the book and requested they contact him if anything changed.

That day, Evan had invited Charlie, Ginny, and Harry over to Rosier Manor while he sent Theo to Draco's house. He was in his office when Bill arrived, and Emilie and Charlie greeted him in the floo room with Harry and Ginny in the kitchen together.

"Bill!" Charlie grinned. He was swept up in a hug by the tall man, who was returning the grin. "What's going on? She won't tell me."

Bill glanced at Emilie and raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know you knew what's going on."

"I'm the one that figured it out," she admitted. "As soon as we saw Ginny and Riddle. Father told me about them years ago in one of our lessons. Emilie, by the way. Emilie Nott."

"Ah," he nodded in understanding. He'd heard of Theodore, of course. Everyone in the curse breaking world had. "Nice to meet you, Emilie. I'm Bill. Is Lord Rosier here?"

"He's in his office," she said, leading them out of the floo room and up the stairs toward the room in question. "He nearly had to cancel, but Croaker decided to let him work from home today."

"Bill, are you staying?" Charlie wondered. "Does Mum know you're here?"

"I'll be here for a couple of months, yeah. Gringott's asked me to go over some vaults that were surrendered to them, and it'll probably take a while," he explained as they entered Evan's office. The man looked up from his desk in surprise and got to his feet to shake Bill's hand.

"Thank you so much for coming, Mr. Weasley."

"Bill, please," he said. "I'm glad you called me, especially since Charlie and Gin are involved. Tell me, who got closest to it?"

"Ginny had it for months, then Harry, then me," Emilie said slowly before glancing at her friend. "You didn't touch it at all, did you?"

"Nah, that thing was _leaking_," Charlie made a face. "I'm not dumb, Nott. You might not wanna tell me what it was, but I don't need to know that to know it was dangerous as hell."

Bill nodded seriously as Evan led them back down the stairs to the kitchen, where they found Harry and Ginny. Ginny got to her feet and ran over to hug Bill, and he squeezed her as he spoke. "You're right, it is dangerous. I'll scan you, but you should be fine if you didn't get near it. The rest of you, though-,"

"It was _alive_," Ginny told her brother with wide eyes. "It possessed me, Bill!"

"It possessed you," he breathed in wonder. "I've never heard of them doing that before. For one to do that, you'd have to pour every piece of you into it _before_… fascinating," he paused and glanced at his sister. "Er- not fascinating, Gin, just- you know, curious. Lord Rosier, do you _have_ the diary?"

"I do," Harry said. "Well, Uncle Moony took it after he found out I used it in May to free Dobby. I got in trouble for that."

"Lord Malfoy has asked me three times how I can be friends with you," Emilie laughed a little. "Called you a thief."

"I am concerned," Evan said, putting a hand on Emilie's shoulder. "Because Emilie touched the magic it oozed, trying to get to Harry. It made it a lot harder for her wounds to heal afterward."

Bill frowned at her and raised his wand. He cast a few spells and his frown deepened. "It's slowly leaving you, but you do have dark magic lingering in a piece of your core. Be careful - that dark magic attracts dark magic. Stay away from dark artifacts or spells for at least six months."

"Which includes any curse breaking," Evan told her sternly. "None at all, Em."

Emilie shifted in irritation. "I haven't touched any curse breaking since those blood wards around Harry's aunt's house, aside from the time you spent teaching me."

"Kid, you shouldn't-," Bill cut himself off and reminded himself of who she was. "Scratch that. Just be careful, and keep that bracelet on. I'll do the removal spell on you, but it probably won't do much."

"What about me?" Ginny asked him in worry. "I mean, am I… you can fix me, right?"

"What kind of brother would I be if I couldn't?" Bill asked with a wink. "You'll be okay, Gin. All of you will be, especially since it's dead. I would appreciate the chance to study it, though."

"I can probably get it from Uncle Moony," Harry offered.

"For now, if you could take care of them," Evan requested. Bill nodded and reached into the bag he had on his hip to pull out something akin to a salt shaker. It was a bit larger, and it had a handle on it.

"Stand very still, Gin," he told his sister. She stilled in place, so he raised the shaker and tipped it over. Green flakes of magic fell out of it and started to cover Ginny from head to toe. Once she was nearly completely covered, it flashed brightly and disappeared. Bill set the shaker down on the table and raised his wand again to cast the diagnostic spells required. "There! All good. Simple, really. Keep that bracelet on for another week, and then you can give it back to me."

Ginny sagged in relief. She even _looked_ lighter than moments before. Color that Emilie hadn't realized was missing was returning to her cheeks, and she shifted from foot to foot as if she suddenly had more energy.

Bill repeated the process on Harry, and they saw the same results, if less pronounced. After that, he moved and tried it on Emilie. It didn't quite work.

Emilie hissed in pain as the first flake of magic touched her skin, and she jerked back from the rest. She slammed into Evan, who pushed her gently toward Bill again. When more flakes touched her, she groaned and stepped to the side. "Stop!"

"Okay," Bill said calmly, holding his hands up. "Okay, take a breath. I'm not trying to hurt you, Emilie, that's the dark magic. It's defensive, and _it's_ hurting you so I'll stop."

"But she's in pain," Harry said, trying to step between them. Charlie grabbed him to stop him, and Harry glared at him. "It's hurting her!"

"And Bill's a curse breaker," Charlie said sharply. "If anyone can fix it, it's him."

"Charlie, take Ginny and Harry home," Bill requested. His brother did as he said and turned to essentially drag Harry out of the room. Ginny helped him out by grabbing him by the ear, and Harry winced and walked out a bit more willingly.

Once they were gone, Evan sighed and rubbed at his face. "So, what do we do?"

Bill was scanning Emilie again. He didn't seem to get what he wanted, so he did a scan specifically on her head. At that, he winced hard. "How's she been acting? Differently? A bit more of a loner than usual, maybe cursing people sometimes?"

Evan stiffened. "Yes."

"I'm _fine_," Emilie insisted. She was glaring between the two men and had her arms crossed over her chest. "Time will fix it, like you said."

"You're not fine," Bill disagreed. "The stuff you touched is acting as an infection. I've never seen or even heard of a horcrux acting this way. It possessed Ginny, and it could very well be doing something similar to you, too. You need to let me douse you in this."

"I can't."

"_Stupefy_," Evan cast. The spell hit Emilie, and he caught her gently. He picked her up and set her on the table, looking tense. "Go ahead."

"It's not going to be pretty," Bill warned, picking up the shaker again. "She might be unconscious, but this is still going to hurt. You might want to leave."

Evan looked at him darkly. "I will not leave her while she's in pain now that I can be here for her. Do it."

So, he did. He started shaking the cleansing magic out over Emilie. He was right - she was clearly in pain. She shook despite being unconscious and was whimpering quietly. The magic, just as it had with the others, began sinking in. It ended up taking about three times as long before it flashed brightly and disappeared. Once it had, Bill nodded firmly. "It's not entirely gone, but she should be able to get rid of the rest naturally. If I keep going, it could permanently damage her core. Just keep her safe and away from other dark magic, like I said."

"Thank you," Evan said, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a pouch and tried to hand it over, but Bill shook his head.

"No need. Not only were two of my siblings involved, but Emilie is a good friend of Charlie's, so she's family. No charge for family. Besides, I get to study a horcrux that isn't acting quite how a horcrux should."

He put the pouch full of galleons back in his pocket and looked at his niece with a pinched brow. "Will she be in pain when I wake her?"

Bill nodded regretfully. "The magic likely tried to attack her core, so it'll be sensitive for a while. I'd suggest no strong magic for a few days while she recovers."

"Thank you," Evan nodded. He walked Bill back toward the floo and came to a stop while Bill closed his bag. "Is there anything else I should know?"

"No, but if you have any questions, let me know. If anything changes or she's acting differently, oddly, I can come check on her. And please, let me know when she's doing better."

"I will. Have a good day, Mister Weasley."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

**August 19th, 1993**

Sirius Black had escaped Azkaban.

He'd escaped on Harry's birthday, and news had broken quickly. Not only that, but Kingsley Shacklebolt contacted Remus to warn him. Peter had lost it, absolutely freaked out. He'd spent four days as a rat before Harry had managed to convince him to shift back.

That day was the trip to Diagon Alley to get school things, and Harry had decided to stay back with Peter while Remus went with his friends and their parents to shop. It was a chaotic trip with the group scattering between stores. They were old enough that they could walk around unsupervised, and it left Emilie and Theo wandering into Scribbulus together.

"D'you think we should look for Christmas gifts, too?" Emilie wondered as they looked around. "Because I know Daphne wants a color changing quill, and Scribbulus has much better quality ones than Scrivenshaft's."

"Might as well," Theo agreed. He tossed a triple roll of parchment into the basket she was carrying and moved onto the notebooks the store had. "How much did Uncle Evan give you?"

Emilie sighed and grabbed for the bag in her pocket. She opened it and was about to start counting when someone yanked it from her hand and took off running. She looked up just in time to see two men run out of the store and split off in different directions. "Theo!"

The twins left after them. Theo went to the right while Emilie followed the other man to the left. She darted through the crowd, elbowing people out of her way until she followed the man into a dark corner of the alley.

It wasn't until it was too late that she realized she was in Knockturn Alley.

The man slowed down once he was in there, assuming she wouldn't be willing to follow him to the darkest corners of the magical community. He was wrong, and she managed to slam into him. Her hand closed on the bag that he held, but just as she was about to take it back, a hand wrapped around the back of her neck and tore her away. She let out a startled scream as she slammed into the wall, at which point she caught sight of the man that held her.

Greyback was staring down at her darkly. He was hairy and looked partially turned, considering the way he was snarling with sharp teeth and his glowing ember eyes. He leaned in to sniff her and breathed out heavily. "You radiate dark, girl. We've met before, eh?"

"Let me go," she managed. She stared up at him fearlessly, completely unwilling to submit. "Now, or I'll scream."

"Do it," he laughed. "No one here will help you. Ah… I smell… yes, I smell one that I've sired on you. Who is it, eh? Who do you know?"

Emilie knew he was talking about Remus. Who else could he be talking about? The idea was supported by the fact that she'd been walking and talking with the man barely ten minutes prior. "If you don't let me go-,"

"What? What are you about to threaten me with? What could you do to me that won't result in you in pain or dead?"

"My uncle will kill you," she decided on. "He will."

Greyback seemed to laugh at her as he leaned in. His mouth was just barely touching her neck, and she twisted to try and get away. He still wanted her to submit. When her shoulder hit his jaw hard, he let out a roar and pushed forward until he bit the bottom of her neck and part of her shoulder.

The bite was agonizing. It was worse than any normal human or even animal bite for the fact that he was partially transformed. Aside from that, it _was_ the full moon that night. So, when he bit her, he infected her. She could feel it in the bite, spreading outward slowly. When he finally moved his mouth away from her, he reached and scratched upward, cutting her hip, stomach, and part of her chest with his sharp nails. The second he released her, she fell to the ground. Greyback didn't dwell on her. Instead, he walked away, leaving her there to either be found or die.

Emilie was whimpering on the ground even as she closed her eyes and focused on her bond with Theo. She could tell he was looking for her, and she was sure he knew something had happened. It was just a matter of strengthening the bond until he found her.

It took nearly ten minutes before, as a last resort, they checked Knockturn Alley. Remus was the only adult searching with Theo, and he ordered him to stay back while he went to find her. As she wasn't far into the alley, he found her nearly immediately. He also knew what happened as he fell to his knees and pressed a hand to her neck. "Emilie."

"It hurts," she managed quietly. "Theo…?"

Remus gathered her up in his arms and got to his feet. He ran out of Knockturn Alley with her and didn't stop until he'd gotten back to the Leaky Cauldron, where Evan was getting drinks with Lucius. "She's been bitten!"

Evan shot to his feet. "We need to get her to St. Mungo's immediately."

And they did. They used the floo and got there within minutes. There was no wait, and they were taken into triage while a healer looked over her and attempted to treat her wounds. Everyone was forced to wait in the waiting room for an hour and a half before the woman walked out and looked over them, her eyes settling on Evan. "We did our best, Lord Rosier. I'm sorry."

"She's not-,"

"She's alive," the woman cut in. "But we couldn't stop it. Whoever bit her must've been partially transformed, because we couldn't remove the infection. Starting tonight, she's going to turn."

"Oh my god," Daphne breathed in horror. "Moonrise is in six hours! Is she even going to be okay to turn by then? Wasn't she scratched?"

The healer nodded. "She was. We've healed those for now but you're right, they will likely reopen tonight. I'm very sorry. We can send you home with enough Wolfsbane for next month, but it's too late for this month. You should get her somewhere safe. She's good to go right now."

"Thank you," Evan said stiffly. He looked back at the group, and his eyes settled on Remus. "Lupin. May I have a word?"

He nodded, and they stepped through the doors that led to rooms. As they walked, they talked. "Yes?"

"I… would ask you to help her tonight."

Remus stared at him in shock. "Rosier, you understand what you're asking me."

"Yes, I do."

"_You_ are asking me to help your niece."

Evan scowled. "I understand, yes. Call me a hypocrite, whatever you like, I don't care. This isn't about you or I, this is about Emilie. You care for her, so help her."

Remus's lips thinned and he stepped into her room. She sat on the bed tiredly, staring at the wall. She looked up when he came in and seemed surprised by the sight of him. "Hello, Emilie. How're you feeling?"

"Tired," she said slowly. "It hurts. She wouldn't tell me what… she said she had to tell Uncle Evan first. Is he here?"

"He is, but I can tell you if you'd like," Remus offered. He walked over to sit by her bed and smiled gently as she nodded. "I assume you don't remember much."

"Not really, just someone stealing the money."

"It seems you chased after the man that stole it. Theo went the other way, following someone else. Someone… Emilie, someone grabbed you. A werewolf. He scratched you and he bit you."

Emilie's eyes widened. She blinked a few times as she started to remember. "It was- it was Greyback! He… it was him. But I'm okay, right? He wasn't changed, at least not entirely."

Remus grimaced slightly. "He was partially changed, though. He does that on purpose so he can change people all month. I'm sorry, Emilie, but he's infected you. You're going to transform tonight."

Fear spread through her, and her eyes widened as she stared at him. "What? I… I can't. Remus, I can't!"

He reached out and grabbed her hand gently. "I'll be there, Emilie. Your uncle has asked me to be there with you. You'll be okay."

"What about _school_?" She gasped. She sat straight up in bed, horrified. "I can't go back! I could hurt them!"

"I haven't told anyone yet, but with Sirius on the loose, Albus has asked me to return to Hogwarts and be your Defense professor," Remus admitted. "I promise you, I will be there. I'll show you where I went during school. It'll be okay, I swear to you. After tonight, you'll start taking Wolfsbane, and that'll make your transformations much smoother, too."

Emilie fell silent. Despite his assurances, she was terrified. She knew her entire life had changed in mere minutes. She also knew that there was a great deal of stigma against werewolves, and the life she wanted was suddenly far out of reach. Looking at Remus, she couldn't help but wonder how he'd done it. "How did… I mean, did you get the life you wanted?"

Remus gave her a sad smile. "No, I didn't. But you have a lot more opportunities than I do, and a privilege that I don't. I won't lie and say everything will be fine, but I will say that it'll be better. That, and I'll be here to help."

"Thank you," she whispered.

"You're welcome, Emilie. Greyback bit me, too. It's… the least I can do. We're pack, after all."

"We are?" She asked in wonder. "He said… he knew I was with someone he'd sired."

Remus grimaced. "That'd be me. But yes, we are pack, or we will be after you turn. You can choose your pack, but since you're so close to Harry and he's- it's a bit complicated, but yes."

She frowned. "What about Harry?"

He sighed. "His dad was pack, so Harry is the cub in our pack. Don't worry about that now. They said you can go home when you're ready."

"But… I _can't_ go home," she disagreed, looking pained. "If… tonight's the full moon, what do I do? Where do I go? I don't…"

Remus nodded and handed her jacket over. She put it on, wincing at the freshly healed, tight skin on her shoulder that tugged at the movement. She put her shoes on next while he got to his feet and waited. "You'll come with me."

"Where are we going?

He helped her to her feet and led her to the door. "Where I always go every month - home."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

She hadn't stopped at home after leaving St. Mungo's. They'd gone straight to the homely cabin that sat in a small clearing in the woods, and Remus had first made them dinner after pointing out that they hadn't eaten since breakfast that morning. After they'd eaten, he'd sat her down and gone over what would happen.

Waving at two bottles sitting on the table, he offered a comforting smile. "You'll take both of those a half hour before moonrise. One is a calming draught, and the other is a sleeping draught."

Emilie frowned. "You can't expect me to sleep through it."

"Of course not," he shook his head. "But with luck, these will keep you calm. Sometimes these things can go poorly. A wolf can hurt themselves if they don't have the proper protections and support. Before Deadalus Diggle created the Wolfsbane potion, these, sometimes mixed with an extra strength pain potion, helped quite a bit."

Emilie looked at the potions quietly. "So why isn't there a pain potion?"

He did his best not to grimace. "While you were in the hospital, they gave you two extra strength pain potions. That's a dangerous dose, especially as a child or teenager. I can't give you another without poisoning you. I won't lie, when you transform, it'll probably burn off the remainder of those potions and part of these. Still, having even part of them will help a bit."

"So what do you… do?" she wondered, still looking at the potions anxiously. It was getting darker out, and she knew it wasn't long before they'd have to be ready. "How does…"

"What is it?"

Emilie bit the inside of her cheek and looked down at her hands. "I'm scared."

"I know," Remus said quietly. "And you have a right to be. I won't tell you that it's not going to be… it'll be painful. All I can say is that I'll be right here with you."

"And you'll be able to… I mean, you've taken your Wolfsbane, you'll be… aware? And I won't be?"

He shook his head. "Not this time, no. Starting tomorrow, you'll begin taking Wolfsbane. By next moon, you'll be aware." He glanced out the window and sighed. "Go ahead and take those potions and then we'll leave."

"Where are we going?" she asked before downing the two bottles.

"It's about a fifteen minute walk to the center of the woods. This is the only house within twenty miles, and there's wards around the entire place. You'll be okay - no one will get hurt."

"Except for me."

He winced. "I'm sorry, Emilie."

She shook off his apology and got to her feet. "We should go."

She was right. It was getting late, and they were cutting it close as it was. As he led her out of the cabin and down the path he'd walked so many times, she was silent. She was clearly watching the path, but otherwise, she was quiet. By the time they got to the clearing, it was nearly dark.

"Tell me something," Remus said thoughtfully. "What do you want to do with your life?"

Emilie didn't reply. It didn't matter what she wanted to do, because her plans were ruined. What had happened had swiftly determined her future for her. She didn't feel like pretending things would be fine, privilege of her family or not.

He wasn't ready to give up, though. "Would you rather talk about your friends? Harry's pretty lucky to have you."

She couldn't figure out why he wanted to talk, to distract her, but she wasn't interested. Despite the calming draught, her stomach churned with anxiety as they waited. Luckily - or rather, unluckily - Remus was unable to continue trying to engage. The moonlight finally peaked over the trees, landing on them.

The transformation began, and it wasn't as bad as she expected, not at first. She'd had broken bones before, sudden and impactful injuries. So, when her legs snapped and twisted, it hurt like hell, but it wasn't worse than anything she'd felt before.

It didn't stop there, however, and as her bones twisted, broke, and changed, she screamed in agony. The barely healed scratches covering her chest and shoulder tore open again and began bleeding freely. It was only as she finally finished her transformation that the bite mark on her neck split as well.

Emilie was a small, brown, red, and black wolf. She fell immediately, in immense pain from her first shift. Moony walked over and placed himself on the ground next to her.

It was going to be a long night.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

**August 20th, 1993**

The next morning, Evan came to Remus's cabin. When he got there, Remus was awake and slowly, carefully healing Emilie's wounds. They were numerous, and certainly more than she'd had before she turned. Evan's jaw clenched at the sight of her. She was asleep, so when he spoke, he did so quietly. "What the hell happened to her?"

Remus shook his head as he moved his wand over the girl gently. "The first transformation is always dangerous. Her first one being in her early teens is worse."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying, I did my best," Remus shot a glare at him. "This could've been much worse."

"You were supposed to keep her safe!" Evan snapped. He knelt down to brush hair out of his niece's face and winced at the bruises on the right side of her face. "How exactly did _that_ happen?"

Remus didn't reply. He focused for another ten minutes on healing the injuries that littered her body. When he'd finally done all he could, he put down his wand and turned to Evan, his patience waning. "It happens when you don't take Wolfsbane. Depending on- on your emotions, how bad things are, you can attack yourself. Emilie did. It- it was bad, she was- I tried to get her to stop, to subdue her, but she fought me. She ended up flying into a tree and passing out for a while. She fought me all night, Rosier. Something is really wrong with her, you understand that, right?"

Evan's eyes flashed furiously. "Don't tell me about my niece."

"Well, someone has to," he snapped back. The two men exchanged a rather heated glance, and Remus finally broke away and rubbed at his face. "Look, I know what issues I had when I was her age. I had a lot of help, so it was never as bad as it was for Emilie last night. Something is wrong with her. I'm telling you this because the best thing you can do to keep her safe and from hurting herself is to help her confront these issues somehow. Therapy, mind healing, something of the sort."

"I don't need you to tell me how to take care of her," Evan insisted angrily.

"Yes, you do!" he threw his arms up, grimacing in pain as he did so. His own unhealed injuries stung - small scratch marks down his arms, a bite on his left hand, and various bruises over his body. "Because _clearly_, you're not handling whatever this is as well as you should. You hate me, and Merlin knows you're not my favorite person, but listen to me - _if you want to make her life easier, get her help_."

"Are you _done_, or-,"

"Uncle Evan?"

Evan cut off, looking back down at Emilie. His glare twisted into a thankful smile. "Avi, thank Merlin. How are you feeling?"

She was quiet, frowning to herself. "I… it hurts, but I don't- what happened?"

"It'll be a lot better next month," Remus assured her. "When you've got the Wolfsbane in you."

"Oh my god," she breathed. Her eyes widened at the sight of his injuries. She sat up on the couch and backed up against the arm, away from Remus and closer to Evan. "Did I do that?"

"He'll be fine," Evan assured her. "I want to get you home to rest, Em."

"Get- no! I _hurt_ you?" she asked Remus, her voice rising. Her hands shook in her lap, and she looked as scared as she felt. "I can't- I'm _sorry_, I didn't mean-,"

"Emilie, it's okay," Remus told her calmly, offering her a gentle smile. "I've been through worse, and these'll heal up fine."

"How am I supposed to… what about school? I'm going to hurt someone!"

"No, you're not," Evan cut in. He rubbed her arm gently, trying to calm her down. "Starting tonight, you'll be taking Wolfsbane. Lupin will be there to help you, too, and Dumbledore already confirmed that there's a place you can go to stay at night that'll keep you and everyone else safe. You're going to be okay, Em."

"No, I'm not," she said softly. Before either of them could reply to her, she looked to Evan. "I need to see Theo."

"Of course," he said. He got to his feet and held out his hand for her, and carefully helped her up. She was clearly in pain and having a hard time moving, but she followed her uncle to the floo. Before stepping in, she looked back at Remus.

"Thank you… and I'm sorry."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

**September 1st, 1993**

The train ride to Hogwarts felt especially long that year.

Emilie was particularly irritable with her friends, who all knew what had happened. After the third time in five minutes that someone had asked if she was alright, she scoffed at them and left the compartment, intent on just pacing around the train until she calmed down.

"Hey, Nott."

She jumped slightly, nearly bumping into Charlie. "Oh. Hey."

He let out a small laugh and led her down the corridor toward his compartment. "Out of it, huh?"

"It's been a long summer," she replied quietly. "What're you doing out here?"

"Ah, looking for you," he said, surprising her. They walked into the compartment he'd been in, but she was surprised to find it was empty of anyone else.

"Why? And why are you alone? Don't you have like… friends here?"

Charlie laughed. "Cranky today, I see. Yes, I have friends. I'm alone here because I spent the first three hours of this trip sleeping, and when I fell asleep in their compartment, Katie _accidentally_ hit me with a bludger."

"How the hell-," Emilie shook her head. "Never mind. Why were you looking for me?"

"Uh, maybe because I haven't seen you in like a month, and you aren't answering my letters, and when I got Ron to ask Harry about you, Harry _went home_. What's going on?"

"Is it so surprising that I have a lot going on? It hasn't been too long since my father died."

Charlie rolled his eyes. "You hated your father, it's not much of a secret."

"Okay, to be clear, my father hated _me_," she said before pausing. "That's… not much better."

"Not really," he laughed. "But! I have the perfect thing to take your mind off whatever's actually going on."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm pretty sure there's nothing that could possibly distract me."

Charlie grinned at her. "You'd be wrong about that."

"Are you going to tease me and waste my time, or are you going to tell me?"

"Oh, alright," he sighed dramatically. "Well, as you know, I didn't spend my third year at Hogwarts."

"That is literally one of the first things I learned about you."

"Yes, _so_, I missed out on one of the best parts of going to Hogwarts! Luckily for me, and you, you're also in your third year now. So-,"

"You're asking me to go to Hogsmeade with you?"

Charlie's excited grin dimmed to a slight pout. "Do you get joy out of ruining the fun parts for me?"

She tilted her head in consideration. "Yeah, a bit."

He let out a dramatic sigh and turned toward the window. "Well, if that's the case, you should probably get back to your friends."

Emilie rolled her eyes at him. "Shut up. Do I get to give you an answer?"

"Do I get to ask you out to begin with?"

"You basically did."

"No, you figured it out and interrupted."

She shook her head with a small smile. "Alright fine, go ahead."

"Thank you!" he grinned at her. He got down on one knee and grabbed her hand in his, smiling up at her. "Emilie Nott, will you go to Hogsmeade with me?"

Emilie laughed and smacked his hand away from her. "Get up, weirdo."

"That's not a yes," he said in a singsong voice.

"If I say yes, will you get up?"

"Yes!"

"Alright, fine," she said finally.

He shot to his feet and threw his arms in the air victoriously. "Yes!"

"Are you done already?" she laughed. He grinned at her.

"First Hogsmeade weekend, you and me," he said firmly. "You don't have to tell me what's going on. Knowing your friends, you've got enough people in your business as is. I'll just keep your mind off things, yeah?"

"Yeah, sounds good."

OoOoOoOoOoOo


End file.
